A New Life
by Aphilligin
Summary: James had bitten her, she was turning, then she was dying. Edward tried to suck out the venom, but God, she tasted heavenly. Good thing Carlisle was there. No other option than to bite her over, and over, hoping she would turn. It turns out she wasn't meant to die in that old ballet studio. She was meant to live a new life. She see's things differently with those new crimson eyes.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: 

Hey there!

This is my first story guys, I've always loved twilight and decided to write a story about it. Rosalie and Bella are endgame here, but it will be a slow burn with trails. Reviews are greatly appreciated, as this is my first story. Thanks!

-Ashley.

Chapter 1: The beginning? The end? Who knows.

My eyes opened to a bright daylight. I only a bright fuzzy image of what was in front of me. It was too unnerving to let my eyes focus, I flinched them shut. I had no idea where I was or even if I was anymore. Trying to determine if this world around me was real or an illusion in death, I spread my fingers out to feel a fine threaded sheet. I was on a bed, with a lumpy flat pillow. My fingers were stiff as they stretched out over the canvas of the bed. My body was a sort of surreal numb. I decided to attempt to move my toes. I still had toes, so this was a good sign. I had not had the courage to open my eyes long enough to let them adjust the hellishly bright surrounding. I could smell a strong scent of pine and honeysuckle. Somehow, I could smell that it had just rained; in fact I could hear the sound of condensation dripping from leaf to ground outside. What Kind of drugs were they giving me? It was a sensory overload and I hadn't even opened my eyes again.

"Edward?" I spoke expectantly. I could smell his strong fragrance. I knew he was there.

"I was too late, I just couldn't." he spoke low and soft.

"It was my fault, I was stupid and I thought he had my mom."

"It wasn't your fault, If I were faster or stronger…"

"I'm ok now. I need to call mom and Charlie. They are probably so worried." I spoke as I allowed myself to open my eyes. I sat up; my body screaming for it had been through with me. Every joint in my bones felt stiff. My muscles seemed tight and sore, I felt like I had just run a marathon holding weights. My eyes focused, it seemed that this accident had given me clearer vision. I knew my contacts weren't in but I could see so clearly. I felt like I was seeing Edward for the first time. Noticing the fine lines in his face, the specs in the honey of his eyes. He noticed my struggle and moved quickly to stop me from getting up.

"I don't think that's a good idea. We need to talk before you do anything." Edward persuaded.

Just then Carlisle came through the door and into the bedroom. I noticed just then that we were in the Cullen house and not a hospital. Had I slept through a hospital visit and a drive here? Why was I not in Phoenix, or even at my house?

"Hello Bella, I'm glad to see you are up."

"Hey, so what happened to me…the last thing I remember I was in the ballet studio in Phoenix and James was there and there was just so much pain…" I scrunched my face trying to remember the details. They all seemed so fuzzy now, like I was watching it a memory on an 8mm film. Carlisle sat down on the end of the bed. Edward stood at the foot of the bed with an obvious distance. After however many hours or days I had been out, I must have had my own over powering musk, I didn't blame him for his distance.

"There was an accident, you were losing a lot of blood. James had bitten you, and you were dying. I'm not sure if you would have died or if James venom would have been enough to turn you. It only felt appropriate that Edward try to save you, since you two share a connection. He attempted to suck the venom out, however…" He paused as he looked down at the bite on my arm; he regained focus and continued, not breaking eye contact with my scar. "Your blood is a singer for him."

"What do you mean?" At this he met my eyes again.

"Your blood called to him. It is very difficult for even the most mature vampires to drink a human's blood without killing them. Edward has to consume your blood along with the venom, for it had mixed with your blood."

"So, what happened? Am I dead and this how I am greeted? Am I in heaven?"

"Erm…" Carlisle turned his head to look at Edward. The two shared what seemed to be a conversation without a word. Edward nodded his head to Carlisle and paced to the wall. He leaned on the far side wall near the window. He didn't look at me anymore, only out the window.

"Edward was able to get the venom out, but in the process, he began a frenzy. Like I said, your blood is a singer to him. It took all my strength to get him off of your wrist. At this point, we were sure you would die. I had no supplies, no blood to treat you with. Your consciousness had drifted and I was left with no other option."

"So, I am dead?"

"No, I had to bite you in every major vein you have. You'll notice the scars glisten from all the areas I had to bite. I wasn't sure that even with all the venom I gave you, that you would take it on and turn. I had to try, I couldn't let such a wonderful, selfless, young life pass because of the vengeance of one vampire and the mistake of another." He paused looking down at my hand. He reached for the top of my hand and clasped my grip. I could feel nothing by the sensation of touch. No cold, no heat, he was the same temperature as myself.

"Bella, you are a vampire." Edward said as he turned to face me for the first time since his reposition. His face showed disappointment and hatred. He turned away again once more to the window.

"I gave you a sedative once I was able to get the medication and we got you out of the studio and into a safe space. After that your heart continued to beat, weak as it was, until this morning. I hope you are at peace with your fate, there was no time to consider your will in the matter."

"I am more than ok, I mean, I …I wanted this. Edward, you don't have to be upset. I'm fine with this."

He moved from the window towards the door, he turned the brass knob and began to make his way out, stopping half way through the exit.

"I've stolen your soul, Bella. Nothing will ever change that. Nothing will ever make me stop hating myself for what I did to you." With that he was out of the room. Carlisle sighed and turned back to me.

"I think it would be best if you do not contact Charlie or your mother until we figure this out. I'm not saying forever, It's just not safe for them or us right now. I hope you understand."

"Ok, but what does he think happened to me?"

"I'm not sure, I will send Alice to ask about you. She can pretend to have not heard from you. Maybe she can gather some answers. In the meantime, I think you should eat. I'll have Edward go with you to show you how to hunt."

As soon as he mentioned hunting a strong fire lit in my throat. It was as if I had strep throat and I drank boiling water, all at one time. I gripped the sheets, they tore under my pressure. Emmitt burst into the room like a bull. His face had the widest grin I had ever seen on it. I would have laughed had my throat not been on fire.

"Bells! I am so happy you are awake! I heard you Carlisle talking about the hunting, there is no way I'm not going to be there to see that. This is the day I've been waiting for! Bells learning to hunt! We can totally grab a couple bucks to ease you into it, but I want you up to a mountain lion by the end! This week we have to hunt bears! We can run up to the Canada border and hunt here. There are way less people in the Rocky's, maybe we should head over there."

He spoke so loudly and fast he didn't give me a chance to process anything. It's a good thing he didn't need oxygen, because he would have passed out by now.

"I don't care where Emmitt, my throat is killing me, I need something now."

"Yeah, I remember that! You get used to it. Well, let's go! Hey Edward, Rosie! Let's go!" He turned and shouted unnecessarily. I could hear the sound of Rosalie brushing her hair in her room and Edward pacing in his room. I'm pretty sure they knew our conversation already.

"I'll go I guess. I'm not going to go chasing after her if she tries to kill a hiker or a group of brownies. She is not my responsibility." Rosalie spouted out from her room coldly.

Edward was suddenly outside the door, He stood against the frame as he spoke.

"Nothing will happen. We will all go and make sure that there are no casualties. I think we should start in the national park. Its close by, she won't have as much of a chance catching human scents on the way to hunt and its secluded."

"Eddie, I'm getting so tired of Elk and mountain goats. That's almost all that area has." Emmitt whined.

"They have black bears too, you just have to be a better tracker to find them." Edward half teased.

"I do find them, I'm a hunter Eddie, it's just that I don't think Bells will be happy with goat." Emmitt said.

"She won't even know the difference right now. C'mon." Rosalie impatiently.

I stood up for the first time. Although my muscles were sore, my body felt weightless. We glided down the steps, each so effortless. Either the drugs were still in my system or being a vampire was going to take some adjusting. I could hear Carlisle sit back down at his desk in his office. I heard no other sound. The house was empty aside from the four of Carlisle and us.

"Where are Alice and Jasper? And Esme?" I questioned.

"They went to Seattle to shop for clothes for you. Well, Alice did, Esme needed some things to decorate a room for you. Jasper is supposed to be there to keep them in check. I doubt Jasper will do much to deter them from splurging." Edward said in a way that seemed more like the Edward I knew. He had been so quiet and pensive, I wondered if he had transformed into something else too. I was glad he was still my Edward.

"So, you are giving me my own room?" I said.

"We don't know how well you will integrate with the humans of this town. We need to be prepared to have you away from them until we are sure you wont hurt anyone." Edward said.

"Why can't I stay with you?" I spit out as if that would have been the obvious scenario that the Cullen's somehow overlooked.

Edward opened the door for me as we shuffled out of the house. Emmitt followed. To my surprise Rosalie did too. She remained quiet and expressionless in the back of our pack. Emmitt did little to hide his emotions of excitement.

"Nothing has changed in that aspect Bella. You may be a vampire now, but that doesn't change that I am committed to keeping your virtue in tact, as much as possible." Edward stated in a strict tone.

"I thought before it was just that you didn't want to…. you know…Kill me." I struggled with my worlds.

"Can we talk about this another time Bella?" Edward said as he pushed past the rest of the group. Without another chance to speak he was making distance towards the park without the others and I.

Being out in the forest was so different from how I remembered it. Its like the world had become much more fragrant, the colors of the trees and the moss were richer. Birds flew in slow motion when we ran, the trees should have been a blur, but my focus was unbreakable. I had never felt so light and graceful. What happened to my two left feet? I found myself bouncing from log to rock to ground with no tripping, no scraped knees. This was a dream I didn't want to wake up from, and I wouldn't. This was my life now, and it was incredible. I was in my own incredible world when Emmitt stopped on a dime. My newfound reflexes did not betray me, I stopped to take in what he was sensing.

 _Not more than a mile away, a mountain climber is mid climb in the national forest. He is alone with only 20 feet or so to the top of his obstacle. He attempts a ledge almost out of his reach, when his hand grasps the rock ledge he trusts his grip too much. His hand gives, his stance slips, and his knee scrapes against the rock. Blood immediately drips down his leg; he hold is too fragile to allow him to wipe his leg. The blood starts falling from his leg to the forest below._

My newfound reflexes did not betray me, I stopped to take in what he was sensing. A strong smell assaulted my nose. It was like nothing I had ever experienced, my mind was whirling with thoughts, observations and commands. The scent lit a fire in my throat; I all had ever desired was dull in comparison to this. My body only wished to follow the scent. Blood.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note:

Hey there!

This is my first story guys, I've always loved twilight and decided to write a story about it. Rosalie and Bella are endgame here, but it will be a slow burn with trails. Reviews are greatly appreciated, as this is my first story. Thanks!

-Ashley.

Chapter 2: The Cat and Mouse

No one, and nothing else mattered. I still had no concept of just how keen my senses were. I somehow knew exactly where to find this blood. It was almost as if the forest was a dark night and this blood was a light beacon. It took no more than a half of a second to stop, smell this and realize that this was my reason for existence. Within that half of a second I was without reservation on my way to catch this prey. This would be mine. He would be mine. Emmitt and the others follow closely behind calling to me. I heard nothing but faint cries. I ran faster than them, and this animal would be all mine because of that.

"Bella! Bella no! That is a human, you can't hurt a human!" Emmitt desperately cried.

"Bella I forbid you from chasing him, do not do this Bella!" Edward was calmer but sterner than Emmitt.

My human nature caught up to my vampire somehow. I began to hear my family calling to me, but I did want to stop. Blood was all I needed; it was all I would ever want again. A Battle began inside of myself. My human was at war with my vampire, and she was surprisingly strong. My human snapped my consciousness back into focus. My vampire body fought my mind's efforts. I did not stop, but only slowed my pace. The others caught up, The boys began to plead with me while Rosalie remained silent.

"Bella please, I can't have you hurting a human, that is human blood." Emmitt was almost whining.

"You need to stop Bella!" Edward was sticking with his stern approach.

Edward moved to block my way, causing me to stop altogether. He put his hands firmly on my shoulders in an effort to shake me out of it. I slapped his hands off my shoulders and knelt defensively giving out a low growl. He backed away slightly in defeat. I stood tall; the war inside me was too much to bear. I started pacing with my hand on my head, growling all along. I couldn't take it. Why was human blood so tantalizing? I was clouding my thoughts, clouding my judgment. Rosalie began to approach. Did she not just see how I reacted to Edward? A man I would give my life for. Rosalie and I had never been what I would call friends. Tall, toned, curvy, confident, well put together; she was everything I was not. Up to this point she had never been anything but rude to me. My human never saw a fault in her, but my new vampire wasn't in the mood to handle this insulting woman.

She moved to stand in front of me but not completely blocking my way. She stood with her arms crossed, straight-backed. She stared me down, looking directly in my eyes. She was commanding my attention. I really wasn't sure If I could deal with her smugness right now. I was in pain; I just needed this to stop. At the moment, the only thing I was sure of was that blood would make this stop.

"Listen bitch, if you go all psycho on that guy we all loose this life. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather live in some of the other places we have been, but my family likes this place. You bite, touch or hurt that human in any way, its over for all of us."

I was silent, for a moment we stared each other down. It was like we were sizing each other up. I think she wanted to push her point that she would be in charge, not me. I was feeling pretty confident in my new form, but she had me beat. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. I did care about all of them, and I think she somehow knew that I couldn't do something that I knew would hurt them. I noticed I was still standing straight in an aggressive way. She hadn't moved or wavered in her stance. I backed down in defeat.

The blood was still too much for me to handle. I gowned loudly in an answer to her, and with no time I turned to run the opposite direction. I was about 2 miles from where I made my exit when I caught another scent. The last scent, the human was floral, rusty and sweet, making an impossibly delicious mixture. This was gamey and rusty, not as good as a human, but it was still delicious. Without anymore thought I was in pursuit.

I slowed my pace and assumed stealth behind a fallen log. I was hunched, slowly sleuthing around from the log to a high rock behind the drinking doe. I made my way to his back atop a rock when another scent assaulted me. I was so focused on the doe I had nearly missed the smooth, rich savory smell of another beast approaching. I immediately caught sight of a mountain lion preying on my kill. This beast would be mine.

Just as the mountain lion made his move to attack the thirsty doe I made mine. We made a hard impact mid air a few feet from the doe. The lion was caught of guard but attempted to recover and defend himself. With a hard fall into the forest floor below we began our grapple. I moved to pierce his strong neck when He gave my back a good modification. His sharp claws barely cracked my hard stone exterior. His hind paws pushed my body off of him and a few feet away. I landed less gracefully than I would have hoped. I twisted and lifted myself from the ground when I was met with the fierce animal lion once more. He had moved to grasp my shoulder with his jaws but was met with my right hand grasping his mouth. I swung my body onto his, as if to straddle his strong body like a horse riding into battle. I reached my left arm around the under side of his chest and bite with an overzealous mouthful of flesh on his neck. His skin gave way and I drank all he had to offer me as the victor.

I've never been a violent person; I have always been one to turn the other cheek. My vampire had taken over in those moments, and though I could never have imagined it, I loved the hunt. I was reborn to this life, and it suited me well.

After I had finished my first meal I awake from the frenzy I was in. My throat had almost ceased to burn. Only a low kindle where a blaze had been. I stood up and quickly assessed what had happened. My dress was torn off my shoulder and up my left leg. I was pretty sure my hair was something that resembled a bird's nest and my skin was cakes in mud several places. There was blood on my dress and on the forest floor. I wondered if the others made this much of a mess when they ate. Then the thought occurred to me that I didn't know where the others were. It was then that I heard a throat clear. I turned to see all three of my hunting partners behind me standing. They must have been watching the whole time.

"I'm so sorry that I almost got that human, I don't know what happened…it's like I wasn't me, I couldn't control myself. I almost ruined everything." A rush of emotions was hitting me; the strongest was guilt and fear. What if they decided that I was beyond help? They would probably leave me and see me for the impossible project I was. I would have killed that man; I didn't stop because I cared about his life. I didn't stop because it was wrong. I only stopped because of my family. What if they were not there next time?

Edward had an expression of sadness, Emmitt was grinning from ear to ear and Rosalie was unreadable. This was it, Edward started towards me. He did not touch me but stood about two feet from me. He didn't face me completely, but was turned slightly away.

"Bella, I know this is hard. You did very good, I'm sorry you are going through this." Edward said.

"That was so awesome! You skipped beginner level Bells, next time we are definitely getting some grizzly!" Emmitt was busting at the seams with excitement.

I smiled for the first time since my transformation. Emmitt had a way of making me feel good. He was so careless and goofy. I needed some of that in my life. Between him and my hunt, I felt so powerful. I felt like taking on the world. We had started back towards the house. Since I was so pumped, I was feeling more competitive than usual.

"So, do you all wanna race back to the house? I want to test out my new legs…and I bet I can beat you." I said looking at Emmitt. Emmitt shot me a smirk in surprise.

"I'm not the fastest out of us, but I can sure beat the hell out of you in a race!" He said cockily.

"I'll beat all of you. That means you." I said taunting Edward.

Edward met my eyes but gave only a silent small smile. I hated not being able to tell what was going on with him. Clearly something was wrong, but we didn't have a minute to talk. I was honestly hoping to get ahead of the others with him and talk for a minute.

"You going to let your woman beat you back to the house Edward?"

"I don't really feel like games right now, but you guys race. Have fun; I'll just pace myself back to the house. I have a lot on my mind anyways." Edward said trying to be cheerful, but not doing a good job at it.

"I could walk with you, we could talk?" I said in a careful tone.

"Its ok Bella, I'm not really up for talking. Maybe soon. I just need to think." He said then without allowing me to respond he changed direction and left the group.

"Don't worry Bells, He gets all "whoa is me" sometimes. He will be fine, he is probably just upset that you will be able to pick him up and carry him like a baby now." He chuckled. "He has never dated since I've known him, and I can't see him liking being the submissive one."

"What do you mean? I'm still me." I said

"You don't really need him like you did. You aren't some weak helpless lamb." Emmitt said teasingly.

"Emmitt, I love you, but you can be so dense. I don't think he is upset that she can beat him in an arm wrestle, I think he is upset that she is going to hell." Rose spoke up. I had almost forgotten she was trailing behind us.

"Whatever lets race." With that he bolted.

I set off after him, within a minute I was on his heels. We approached the river, he choose to jump the length of the river. I choose to run the log that created a natural bridge over the water. When he landed, he landed in mud. The force of his land caused his foot to stick. He rolled into a tree. I heard a loud crack from the tree breaking under his blow. The tree was coming down. I paused in instinct to make sure he was ok. Rosalie shouted not to worry. With that I set out on my way again. Rosalie had gained about fifty feet on me in the incident. I quickly caught up to her. She began to speed up more. She was staying just ahead of me. I didn't understand how she was so fast. I was easily beating Emmitt, but it was taking all of my energy to stay on her heals.

"Getting tired yet porcelain?" She said in a teasing tone.

I was so shocked that I lost a little of my speed. I snapped out of it and caught back up, but I still couldn't beat her. I'd never hear the end of it if she could beat me as a newborn. I was supposed to be faster and stronger. I tried my hardest, but I could only stay in sync with her. We both reached the yard to the Cullen house at the same time. I have to admit that she was much smoother at running; she was graceful like a deer. She leapt over logs with ease with her movement fluid.

I guess that level of grace in movement didn't come with being a vampire. I was definitely a lot less clumsy, but that was mostly because everything seemed to slow when I was running as a human. I could see each root and tree so much easier at my speed than I could when Edward had carried me running. Even though I could see everything, that clearly didn't mean I paid attention to everything. I had been so focused on Rosalie and beating her that I missed the obvious large house up ahead. I slowed down too late, and in an effort to not create a hole in the garage, by my tank of a body, I attempted to stop suddenly. This was a grave mistake.

My feet got caught up on one another. I tripped and rolled into the garage door. The door, of course, could not stop me from barreling through. I hit a once beautiful black two-seater convertible with 2 silver stripes. The entire front fender gave like foil under my blow. I felt a sharp shot of pain to my right shoulder. I disconnected my shoulder from the car and noticed a crack in my shoulder. As I watched the crack and the pain quickly disappeared. I stood up hoping that I had done something that was common and not a total disaster. Vampires have to have mishaps like this in the Cullen house, right?

"You stupid bitch!" Rosalie was shouting and marching at me. I had never felt so afraid. James had nothing on Rosalie. If I were human I probably would have wet myself and fainted. Instead I just sat there like a deer in headlights.

Thankfully Emmitt was there to stop her. He got between us holding his hand out in an effort to calm her down. She ignored him. Her pupils we obsidian black and her face was wrinkled in anger. She balled her fists and held her shoulders straight back.

"Whoa Rose! Calm down. It's just a car; you have all the time in the world to fix it. Hey! A new project for you! You wont be bored, eh?" He said as if he was talking down a toddler throwing a fit in a grocery store. She ignored him completely. He attempted to halt her from reaching me by placing his hand on her shoulders. I thought that was his last move. That would be it for Emmitt McCarty Cullen.

She stopped and looked at his hand. Then she looked into his face. I saw the anger and fire of 10,000 Hells in the look she gave him. She spoke calmly and sternly.

"So, Emmitt, what you are telling me is that my 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 "Super Snake" is just a car?"

"Rose, You can fix it, you will have more to do now." Emmitt said as if it were perfectly logical.

"This car is worth about five million dollars. That fender will cost me several hundred grand to replace if I can't pound it out. Look at it!"

"I'll give you the money Rose!" Emmitt said pleading.

"Its not about the fucking money Emmitt! Ugh!" She clenched her fists and turned to walk out of the garage. She stopped to look at me once more. "You better stay away from me, or your face will look like that fender."

She walked out, passing my old truck she grunted and put all of her anger into one lethal blow to my truck's hood. The sides of my hood gave under the immense pressure it was put under. The sides flew up like a rock throws water out to each side when it's dropped in. She didn't make any apologies for her outburst; she just walked off and into the house.

"Well, she is going to be in a bad mood for the next few days. You couldn't pick the challenger or the Vette to smash?" He said in a serious but teasing tone.

"Next time I'll try to pick a better car to ruin." I shrugged and rolled my eyes.

"Bella Marie Swan! You get over here and give me a hug!" Spoken by the most musical and angel like voice I knew. Alice didn't even give me a chance to come to her; by the time I stood up she had run and jumped into me for a full body hug. Had I still been a human I would have fallen back into Rosalie's precious car. I was slightly proud that I didn't. She gave me the tightest hug I think I had ever received.

"Its so good to see you Alice." I said softly while we hugged.

She got down off of me after a brief minute. Her face turned to a frown. She hit my shoulder with a surprisingly strong slap; my body was forced back just an inch.

"You scared me Bella, you are lucky you already turned, because I would kill you for how much worry you caused me!" She pouted.

"I didn't mean to. I thought James had my mom. I'm sorry Alice. If it means anything, it wont happen again" I said with a wink.

"Oh, its ok, I'm over it." She said with her own brand of bubbly.

Jasper stood quiet behind Alice, with a gentlemanly smile on his face. I wasn't sure if I had ever seen his smile. Usually he was in pain around me. He exuded happiness and warmth and I felt it overwhelm me.

"Hey Jasper, its nice to see you. How's it going?"

"Its going well ma'am. It is nice to see you up about moving around. I am also happy that I no longer wish to eat you." Jasper tipped his head my direction like a southern gentleman.

"Ok, so I need to show you what I got you! Vampire will have never looked so good, well, I mean on you. Its obviously hard to compete with me in the fashion department."

I would have normally groaned, but I was just so happy to see another friendly face that I entertained her. We made our way through the house and up to Alice's room. Her room was like the most organized, bright and girly room I think I had ever been in. It wasn't cheesy but very sheik and delicate.

Her bed was a bright with white grey and yellow. It contained the colors in a mandala style. On floor laid a metropolis of shopping bags all neatly lined up next to her bed. She must have spent a couple thousand dollars.

"This isn't all mine is it?" I questioned in horror.

"Well, yes, but we can go back in a few weeks once Jasper has recuperated from this trip. He seems to need a little while to even out from the excitement I throw his way. He is so cute. Let's start trying it all on! If I remembered right, you are a size two?"

"Yeah, Sometimes a four in certain things, but I'm sure it will work." I glazed over for a second imagining how long this would take. "We don't have to try on all this now, right?"

"Honestly, Bella, What else do you have to do? Do you have some pressing engagement? Just humor me." She said rolling her eyes as she dug clothes out of the first bag.

I was surprised that I didn't look like an Alice clone. She saw me in a totally different style when she shopped. She bought me more Chucks, which caught me by surprise, even if they were much more stylish in the array of colors she bought. They did almost completely contrast my old worn black and white ones. She got me an assortment of vans and leather boots too. I think she bought me about 10 pairs of jeans and leggings. Some with fashioned rips and tears. All of them were skinny, unlike my old flared and boot cut pants. I had a couple different leather jackets to choose from and about a billion tanks, shirts and tops to match them with. I would of course have to get her approval on all combinations, if I didn't want a lecture on fashion.

After about an hour of trying on different combinations, at vampire speed I might add, more combinations than I knew possible we finished. I could smell wet paint and dry wall coming from nearby. We both shuffled down the hall to one of their many guest rooms. The room in which the smells were coming from was nestled in between Edward and Rosalie's room. I opened the door to see one of my favorite creatures, Esme.

She had her back to me when I first opened the door; she was rolling paint with a long stick. The room was about half done with the same color paint my old room at Charlie's house's color. She stopped when I walked in and put the brush down. She was wearing a white tank top and old Jean overalls that appeared to be veterans of her redecorating. She wiped the hair out of her face, carful to not wipe paint from a smudge on her arm onto her. She gave me the warmest smile that made me feel like I was truly home.

"Hello Bella, its so good to see you dear." She said opening her arms and coming to me. I was instantly drawn to her embrace. We gave a short but heartfelt hug before she stepped back and gave me a good look over.

"I see Alice got to you." She smiled.

"Yeah, I would have come said hello, but we were sort of busy with this for the last 6 hours." I said smirking.

"Oh, shut up, it took an hour! You loved it." Alice said from behind me.

The rest of the night was spent sitting on the couch watching Emmitt play video games while Alice and I talked about what all had happened at the high school since I was gone. I had only missed a week, but to hear Alice tell it, I had missed everything. My thoughts often turned to Charlie throughout the previous day. I had worried about how he and my mom were, hoping everything was ok. In these moments, I almost forgot about all the worry I had for Charlie, my mom and the new struggles this life were going to bring me.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note:

Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, I am learning :). So like I had said before, this is a slow burn. I am slowly heading the direction of Rosella, so hang in there. This is a short but necessary chapter to tie up a loose end. I already have chapter 4 written, It is a little bit longer and it does have some Rosalie and Bella interaction. Hopefully, you all are enjoying this. I'll release chapter 4 tomorrow...probably.

Chapter 3: Communication is Key

Before I knew it, Dawn broke. I had spent my first night as a vampire. It was odd to not feel tired. I was pretty sure I would like this part about being a vampire. We were still camped on the couch, but Emmitt had gone up to his room to read comics and listen to music, because he was actually twelve. Alice was so easy to talk to. To be honest, I didn't really talk that much; I just listened to her rant about everything. She never seemed to run out of topics. During a particularly passionate rant about the difference between wearing fashionable vintage clothing and old trash worthy hand me downs; Edward came back from his long walk. He noticed us immediately on the couch and greeted us. He seemed to have had a heavy night but tried to appear positive.

"Alice, Bella. Are you having a good time?" He said cheerfully.

"Of course we are Edward, we are best friends. Did you have a nice walk?" Alice stated matter-of-factly.

Edward signed. He moved to the couch and sat down. I almost thought he was going to ignore her question when he answered.

"I did, I spent some time hunting on my own. I'm sorry that I have been so distant to all of you. I have just had some things on my mind. Actually, Bella, do you mind if we go for a walk later?"

Instant fear and adrenaline flowed through my nonexistent veins. I was so happy that he wanted to finally be alone with me, but at the same time I was so afraid. My mind raced with all of the possibilities the situation could produce. Maybe Emmitt was right in a way, maybe he was upset that I wouldn't need him like I did before. I still needed him, I needed to be loved by him, but I wasn't frail. Maybe Rosalie was right; maybe he could not handle what he thought he had done to my soul. I hoped it wasn't the later, I could probably show him I still needed him. I had no idea how to fix the soul going to be damned thing.

"Yeah, do you want to go right now?" I said hoping that he wouldn't leave me tortured.

"Actually, Bella, we should probably first discuss your situation in Forks." Carlisle spoke, suddenly in the room behind us.

"Yeah, so, when can I see my dad, or go back to school?" I hesitated some; worried the answer would be never.

"I hear your first encounter with a human was touch and go? It could have been a lot worse, but we still need to get you more in control." He said in a tone that made me think of how dads should sound.

"So, how long do you think that will take? Can I at least call Charlie? Or my mom?" I was desperate to tell my father I was sorry and I didn't mean any of what I had said. He must have been so torn up.

"Well, we are trying to come up with a good explanation to give both Charlie and your mother. I am not exactly sure how long it will take you. Some newborn vampires cannot ever control their blood lust very well. Others are naturals and take less than a year."

"A year! Are you serious?" I was so scared that I wouldn't see Charlie for that long.

"We will see how you do, maybe do a few tests on your strength of will. We can have some of us go with you on a trip into Port Angeles. There is less of a chance that locals will see you and we can see how you do. Until you are able to see your family and friends we need a good explanation for all of this. Based on what Alice got from talking to Charlie, your mom is not aware of your leaving. We think you should call her and pretend as if all is normal. Don't tell her about you leaving to go to Phoenix, and pretend you are with Charlie." Carlisle stopped for a minute to think.

"I think you should pretend to do the same with Charlie. Tell him you are in phoenix until the end of spring break. We can see how you are doing by then, maybe you can "come back to Forks" at the end of it. We can pretend that Alice and Rosalie went to see you. They can lay low for the next week and help you with your bloodlust. If they miss school this week and then the next week is spring break, maybe we can at least have you back in forks officially by then. We can cross the bridge of your living situation after that. You might have to pretend to need some space if living with a human is too challenging."

Carlisle explained everything as if it would go so smoothly. At least this meant I could call Charlie and apologize. I just wanted to know he was ok.

"Even better, we can go shopping again in Port Angles to test you." Alice said with a smile.

"Sure, so when can I call?"

"You can try now." He grabbed my cell phone from his pocket and handed it to me.

I took the phone and made the easier of the two calls first. I dialed my mom, within 3 rings I heard her pick up. There was a lot of back ground noise, she must have been in a market or some place very crowded.

"Hello?" she said as if she didn't see who was calling.

"Hey mom, how are you?"

"Bella! Hey sweetie, I'm good, just at a Latin festival with Phil, how are you honey?"

" I'm good, same stuff going on here, school, Charlie, rain." I laughed trying to sound normal.

"I do not miss the rain! I miss you honey, but it is kind of hard to hear you. I have a lot going on over here, can I call you later?" She was happy and bubbly as ever.

"Erm, sure mom, just call when you can. I love you."

"I love you too sweetie. Bye." With that the line was dead.

"Well, that was easy. I guess now comes the hard one." I spoke as I gained the strength to dial Charlie. The phone rang twice and an out of breath Charlie picked up. He sounded almost frantic.

"Hello? Hello?"

"Hey Dad!"

"Bells? Bells, I was so worried about you." He sounded like he had his nerves shot.

"I'm so…I'm so sorry dad. I am ok, I didn't mean any of what I said." I felt so guilty as the worlds fell out of my mouth.

"I'm just glad you are ok. Are you in phoenix? Are you safe where you are? Are you going to come home?"

"I'm safe dad. And, yeah, Alice and Rosalie are on their way down to se phoenix this week and stay here for spring break. I think I had just been holding in a lot of stuff from the move and changes and all. I didn't mean to scare you. I think I just needed something familiar for a bit."

"erm, ok, as long as you are ok and safe Bells, I do wish you would come home though. Are you going to be ok with school?"

"Alice is bringing my homework with her, I'll work on it this week. They will help me get caught up. I talked to the school today too."

"Ok Bells, is everything ok with your mother? Is she moving back there?" He tried to sound interested in how his ex was doing. I think he wasn't sure what else to ask to make sure I was ok.

"No, Phil is just on an away streak so she is visiting with me. She is good, same as normal."

"Well, be safe, call me this week, ok? I wanna know you are still alive." He sort of chuckled. That made me happy, I didn't want him to worry. It was good to hear him relax.

"Ok dad, I love you."

"Love you too bells, talk to you later, ok?" he sounded like he wanted a promise out of me.

"Talk to you in a couple days. Bye dad."

I was instantly relieved, both of my parents were alive and ok. It was easier than I thought to convince them that I was ok and not…well not an undead being thirsty for their blood. I had two weeks to get my control in, well in control. All I had to do was try to focus on not killing people. That should be easy, right?


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note:

Thanks for your continued support and reviews! In this chapter we have a bit more of an interaction for Rosella. I apologize for any errors or mistakes, Grammar is not my forte. Please continue to review and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Taming the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

After the phone call ended, Alice was so excited to go back to shopping that she insisted on us going to hunt so that we could go to Port Angeles. I was hoping to talk with Edward, but after the phone calls he went straight up to his room. I was more than sure he was putting me off. Alice invited Rosalie to come along for the hunt but she said something to the effect of "I'd rather be torn into pieces and burned." I am pretty sure there was an explicative or two in her version though. The others left for school, so it was just Alice and I in the woods. She was kind of fun to watch run, she liked to take the high ground every once in a while and bounce tree to tree.

We didn't go nearly as far as we did yesterday, Alice was far too eager to leave for shopping. I got my first taste of deer, which was good, but a lot less satisfying to catch. I can see why Emmitt preferred Bears and other dangerous animals. My appetite surprised me once I started to drink, but until then I didn't think I was really that hungry. I was barely done with my deer when Alice was already rushing me back towards the house.

When we reached the house, Alice called out to Rosalie to get herself down and in the car. She was so impatient that she didn't even go in the house. Luckily I didn't make a mess like I did the other day, because I was pretty sure I wouldn't have been given he time to change. I made conversation with Alice as we waited for Rosalie. I was pretty sure we had a minute since I didn't think Rosalie was rushing to get in a car with me.

"So, Rosalie called me Porcelain yesterday, why?"

"Just ignore her, that's just what she has always referred to you as." Alice sensed that I wasn't satisfied with that answer. "She thought you were fragile."

I internally pouted that I had a nickname that was less than positive. Its not like I was a complete wimp when I was human. I mean, I did hang out with vampires, not only that but I tried to rescue my mom from one of these said vampires. I think Alice must have sensed my feelings towards this revelation.

"Look Bella, none of the rest of us called you that. We really liked you, and we love you now. Don't worry about it."

Rosalie had made her way out of the house and into the back seat. She was less than pleased to be going. Tension filled the car; I was starting to sense that Rosalie's special ability was laser eyes. I could feel the burn in the back of my head at certain points. I didn't dare turn to face her, I was starting to think that maybe I was a wimp. Alice had tried to greet her; she didn't put too much effort into it. It was just her being polite.

Despite the obvious tension in the atmosphere, the drive was pretty pleasant. Alice explained to me where we were going to go to shop. I had never heard of any of the places she mentioned. I pretty much got all of my clothes from Wal-Mart, Target if I was feeling flashy. We made some conversation, although it was mostly Alice telling me stories and more gossip. Before I knew it we were arriving at Port Angeles.

I could smell human blood already. I would have probably been going crazier had I not fed within the last two hours. My throat had a low level burn, but it was nothing I couldn't handle at the moment. The thoughts of the smells around us did invade my thoughts constantly. As we made our way out of the car the smell hit me harder. Alice paused to inspect my poise. She was looking for any signs of a crack in my volition.

"Alice, I'm fine. "

"I'm just making sure, we don't want to have any accidents." She said as if it were the equivalent of spilling a glass of water.

"I'm not saying that I'm not thinking about it, but I just fed, it makes this easier." I said feeling a little more confident with each word.

"Ok, well let's go then. We will keep an eye on you."

The three of us began walking the streets of Port Angeles. They had me wear sunglasses to hide the red in my eyes, just until we hot the costume shop for some brown contacts. When we arrived at the costume shop I was a little surprised. I had expected a cheesy Halloween store, what I got was a costume, collectables and all out nerd shop. Inside were two men who, if I had to guess, had never been on a date. One was tall, skinny, with dark greasy hair. The other was a shorter chubby teen with curly hair.

"I'm telling you, the underworld universe vampires are superior in every way to Dracula. Marcus is faster and stronger!"

"Dude, what movie did you watch? Dracula is older and stronger. I don't even think…" The tall greasy twenty something was interrupted by our presence.

Both guys stood blankly for longer than seemed natural. The chubby boy's mouth was agape. I could instantly smell that he had snacked on Cheetos and mountain dew earlier. He also wore a small memento of his snack on his chest in the form of orange dust. It occurred to me that they probably didn't get a lot of women in this store, especially women like Alice and Rosalie.

"I prefer the vintage Nosferatu myself, sure he is not as flashy as the new adaptations, but he have a certain air about him, don't you think?" Alice added to their conversation as if she were a best friend to these guys. She possessed a charm most likely not caught by them, judging by the still blank looks on their faces. The tall greasy shop worker composed himself remembering he should speak.

"I…erm, I agree actually. Welcome to Dark Ventures Emporium, is there something you are looking for today?"

"Just picking up some color contacts for a party we are going to later. We are looking for a chestnut brown, do you have any?"

"We have deep brown, here…" He reached under the counter pulling out a case of different colors. After some consideration she purchased the contacts. As he was cashing her out, the chubby boy gained the courage to speak to Rosalie, who was looking at some of the merchandise in the store.

"So, if you and your friends like folklore and monsters, we get together with some friends every Saturday night to LARP vampires and other creatures. I am a werewolf, we could…I don't know…maybe grab some dinner before hand and you could be my date?"

Rosalie turned her attention from some voodoo dolls to the chubby boy with guts. She looked him up and down. I'm not quite sure I was going crazy, but I was certain I saw Rosalie give out a small laugh. I wish she did that more, it made her seem pleasant, if not just for a second. Her face fell flat, but her left brow curved upward in her answer to his request.

"Tempting, but no thank you." She said. It appeared as though his world crumbled. His positive face fell, though I'm not sure Rosalie noticed. She promptly moved to join us as we walked out of the store with our purchase. Alice, being the ever-polite woman she was wished them a good day.

After that we went to several stores. I had my new contacts in and they were a bit irritating. I felt like my vision was somewhat impaired, like looking through a dirty window at the world. I was doing pretty well around other humans, luckily the town wasn't too crowded, and the stores were almost empty. I suppose this was the advantage and strategy of going on a Monday morning. I still felt a little like a wolf in sheep's clothing. Freely walking through a herd of unknowing sheep.

Alice had told me she was proud of me in a low whisper a couple of times after being in stores with multiple people. It meant a lot that I was not disappointed my new family. I have to say, the torture of the low burn in my throat was nothing compared to the torture of playing dress up with Alice. I adore the girl, but she knows no limits when it comes to clothes shopping. I could totally see why Jasper needed some time to recuperate. The whole day Rosalie silently followed us. As the day wore on I felt slightly less tension between us, as if she was forgetting about the fact that I destroyed her priceless baby.

Towards the end of our day we had accumulated too many bags to carry, well, too many to carry and look human. Not many human women casually carry tens of full bags on their arms walking several blocks. Alice offered to go grab the car, I offered to go with, but she insisted on me staying with the bags. I think she just wanted to torture me more by leaving me with Rosalie.

If had been only about five minutes of silence before a strong smell of blood struck me. The low burn in my throat turned to a raging flame. Human blood was so intoxicating that I lost myself. Before any thought or reservation I set off in the direction of the blood. It was probably a good thing that we were waiting behind a store in an alley way because I lost all ability to act human. I was running at vampire speed when I spotted the sight of the wonderful sweet blackberry and wine smell that teased me so much. A couple was standing near the water; he was helping her up from a fall she had taken. They were both a little more than buzzed. I could see a scrape on her shin and a small amount of blood trickling down her leg.

I sped towards my target, I pushed the man off of my prey, he must have flown ten feet where he hit his head on a lamp pole. I grabbed my prey quickly and embraced her. I hand my left hand over her mouth, holding her tight from behind. My right hand held her tight around her waist. I went to sink in my teeth to her smooth neck when I was suddenly pulled from my prize. My head yanked back and I was thrown at least fifteen feet. I landed less than gracefully. I quickly got up to my feet, a loud growl escaping my mouth. I looked to see Rosalie crouched and ready to defend what was rightfully mine.

I growled louder and ran at her, no thoughts running through my head, only instincts controlling me. I reached her with offensive arms ready to rip into her. She easily grasped my hands, turning my body into a hold. She had me in a tight bear like hug. I struggled to get free; right now I think I hated her more than she hated me.

"Bella, you need to control yourself!" She said sternly into my ear. She was trying to be quiet; as to not cause any more attention to our situation, but her voice was cold and demanding.

"Mine!" I shouted with a growl.

"Control yourself! You don't want to do this. Focus Bella! This is a human, you will regret this later!"

I said nothing; I only struggled against her strong grip. She had me too tight in her embrace to wiggle out. The smell of the human's blood burned my throat like a hot iron. The human was in shock, she was scared but said nothing, only staring from her position on the ground. Her mouth was open in awe of what she was witnessing. I could smell the alcohol on her breath. My thoughts began to return with these observations. I was still enraged but other emotions began to invade my being. I saw the fear on the humans face. I caused that fear; I caused the second human to bleed against the lamppost not more than ten feet away.

"Bella, we need to go, we can't be seen here. Pull yourself together." I stopped struggling against her grip. She didn't waver in her hold.

"Ok, I just…are they ok? Is he…?" I couldn't get out all of the words swirling in my thoughts.

"He is fine, can you control yourself?"

"I don't…I don't know."

"I am going to let you go, I need you to run. Run away from here right away. Do not stop, do not let yourself turn around. Run back to where we were and keep going, I will follow." Her voice was so firm, no one would have power against that tone.

"ok." I said worried that I was a danger to myself.

With that she loosened her hold. In less than the blink of an eye I was gone, I was back to our things. Alice was pulling up in her car, but I didn't stop. I could not disobey Rosalie's instructions, I just continued. I ran in the alley until there were no more alleys. I ran across an empty street and into the woods. To the best of my knowledge I would see the road we traveled here on soon. It took me only minutes, but I found our highway. I stopped there.

Minutes later Alice found me; She must have seen everything in a vision. Her and Rosalie we riding in her car and when they picked me up they pretended to be normal. I was so ashamed that I did that; they probably sensed this and felt bad for me.

"Hey there Bella, c'mon sweetie, let's go." She said with the window rolled down.

I sat there in the dirt on the side of the road, my hands on my head. I ignored her request. She put the car in park and got out. She walked to be and sat down, but not without a small grunt from the dirt that was bound to mess up her pants.

"Bella, its ok, you are less than a week old. We expected you to do much worse actually. That's why we are here." She comforted me with her arm on my shoulder. I said nothing.

"You will get better, honey. You were doing really well until someone actually bled. It will get easier, I promise. " She said softly.

"You guys are all going to hate me, what if I can't be stopped, what if I am alone? What if I kill someone?" I would have been crying had I been human. She laid her head on my shoulder and held my hand.

"None of us hate you, and none of us will. You wont ever be alone. Let's go home Bells."

She got up and offered her hand to mine. I grabbed her hand with a small smile and got up. We brushed our pants off, got in the car and made our way home. On the way home I surprisingly felt no tension between Rosalie and I. I was a bit worried that she would be mad at me for trying to rip her arms off. Maybe she felt pity for me since I failed so poorly. I looked at her in the rearview mirror periodically but she never seemed to notice. She only watched out the rear window. I wondered what sort of thoughts were in her perfect head. I worked up the courage to speak to her when we were almost home.

"Hey Rosalie, Thank you for saving me from myself." I said shyly. I could see her in the mirror; she continued to watch out the rear window. After a moment, when I had convinced myself that she would not respond, she did.

"I didn't do it for you." She spoke in a soft voice without turning.

When we reached home we grabbed all of the bags in one trip. We no longer had to pretend to be delicate human women. We made our way up to the porch when Edward came out of the house to meet us. We all stopped to greet him, though he did not seem to be happy to see us. He looked to be somber, deep in thought. He spoke without any detectable emotion behind his words.

"Bella. Will you go for a walk with me? We need to talk."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note:

Thanks again for the reviews! A warning, this chapter gets a little dark. There is some violence and reference an abusive situation. Its all to make the good seem even better though. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 5- Never Let Me Go

"Of course." I said hesitantly.

A strange mix of emotions came over me. I was nervous, scared and excited all at one time. I was missing him more than ever; we had been so distant since my turn. I was happy to have a few minutes alone to talk, but so afraid that his demeanor was so cold.

I set my bags down to next to Alice. She looked at me with a worried expression. I assumed she was worried because of my recent out burst with the couple on our shopping trip. I silently mouthed, "I'll be okay." She nodded in response.

Edward and I strolled into the forest; it felt like forever before we spoke. We must have walk three miles, but I wasn't exactly keeping track. I was so nervous that the only thing I thought of over and over was that I was hoping we were ok and that he wasn't mad at me. Mad at me for the choices I made that lead us to this point. I wanted him to want me still, to love me.

We slowed our pace at an area I didn't recognize. I hadn't hunted or cross this area to the best of my knowledge. I could hear a stream flowing near by, and birds chirping in the trees. It would have been a cheerful place had I not been so anxious.

"Bella, I wanted to talk with you about what is going on with me." Edward spoke finally.

"Are we ok? I feel like maybe I did something…" I stopped speaking, feeling like I was missing a point he was intending on making.

"You didn't do anything Bella, I did. I wasn't able to be strong for you; I couldn't stop even when your life depended on me to. Its because of me that you are this monster." He spoke as if he were tortured by every word.

"I'm not a monster Edward, well, I am trying not to be. I think I can get better, I will try my best to be better." I spoke pleading with him.

"You are a monster, but it is not your fault. I did this to you. If it weren't for me, Carlisle wouldn't of had to do this. You would still be in school, living your life, you would be able to see Charlie." He looked away from me as he continued. "I've been thinking a lot about all of this, about us. I can't pretend to be ok with this. I can't pretend to be ok with what I did to you."

I felt a large lump forming in my throat as I heard each word spill out of Edward's mouth. It was like one of those moments that you try hard to find a pause button for, but no matter what you do, nothing stops it from continuing. I just wanted it to stop, to go back. I wanted to go back to before he spoke and spend forever in those moments of just being together.

"Edward, we can work through this. I'll be better and you will see that…" he cut me off.

"No, its not what you are doing Bella. I can't be with you and I can't be here. I am going to go away for a while. You are going to try to live this life the best way you can. I can't do anything to ever make up for what I did to you. The best thing I can do is stay away from you."

"Edward, please."

"I won't stay around here to hurt you more. I will find a way to atone for my sins." He said.

"Just stay ok, just be with me. I need you. I need you more now than ever. I can't…I can't do any of this without you." I desperately pleaded.

"Bella, I do not love you anymore. In fact, I despise what you are. I can not stay around to watch you as this creature." He said in the harshest tone I had ever heard.

"Edward…" I cried out, crumbling to my knees.

Edward stood with his back still straight; he only allowed his eyes to travel down to my level. I had no strength, no will to stand. I wasn't sure if I could ever stand again. This was all some horrible nightmare that I couldn't wake up from. He stood, watching me for a moment. After that he only said one more thing to me.

"This new life will be free of me. Good bye, Bella."

I lifted my head to speak, to stop him. He was gone. I found the strength to rise back to my feet. I had to find him. My reason for living, for fighting my nature, for everything was gone. I tried to reason what direction he ran in, but I had no clue. I had no idea how to tract, so the next thing I did was out of sheer desperation. I just ran. I ran for hours, I circled and backtracked and retraced again. By nightfall I was completely lost, both physically and mentally. My world was spiraling out of control. I continued doing the only thing I knew I could do, I ran.

By daybreak I was near a city. I could smell the strong scent of exhaust and asphalt. The city was still asleep. The sun was just barley peaking over the horizon. I was a zombie moving ever forward, I was coming unhinged. It was then that I smelled the familiar scent I craved more than anything. In that moment, I craved it more than Edward. The difference now was that I no longer cared.

I let myself give into the beast within me. I followed the nearest scent of human I could detect. I was in a rough part of the city; I didn't even know what city I was in. I remember thinking it could be Seattle by how many tall building it had. I wasn't very familiar with Olympia though, so it could have been there. The scent brought me to broken down house. I saw man walking in a business suit into the house. I quietly stalked my target. This unlucky man would be mine.

I heard the man from outside the door. He had an appointment with a girl whom he only referred to as a number. I knew he was meeting a girl by the casual vulgar descriptions he gave about her to the man behind the desk. I heard the man pay what seemed to be a large sum of money and in exchange receive a key with a time limit on his visit. It didn't take much of an investigator to figure out that whatever this man was up to, it was not going to be good for anyone.

With very little effort I jumped up to the second story, clinging to a tree outside a boarded up window. I was outside the room the man entered. I heard him put his stuff down and speak to the girl who had only been referred to as a number. Her response was muffled and slurred. I could hear her heart speed and her throat give out a wine. Instantly I was infuriated, I ripped the boards off the window to reveal what I had suspected. I remember my first victim easily; it was the man I had claimed on the street. He had just unbuckled his pants when I burst through the window. I quickly reached him. I grabbed by his hair with my left hand, tugging his head towards the floor and exposing his neck. I remember the way he tasted. It was nothing like I had experienced with the animals I had conquered. His blood was so thick and velvet like. He tasted like iron and strawberry.

It took only moments to drain him. I needed more. I untied the girl from the bed and growled at her. She was so scared. I told her to leave and to never speak of what she saw. She nodded and escaped quickly. The next moments are a bit of a blur, most of which is filled with blood. I remember being selective in my prey. My control left me proud of myself. Every single victim of the prey that I searched for was set free. I only drained those that preyed on the girls I found.

After I snapped out of the craze I was living in I panicked. What had I done? I had a house full of victims. I had a house full of evidence that would surely destroy me. I went to the door and locked it. I thought for a few moments on what to do. After some careful consideration I decided to wait until nightfall to dispose of the mess I had created. I was covered in the evidence of my wrongdoing, I had to change or else my plan would never work. After searching through the basement I found a box full of girls clothes. I put on a shirt that I would have never picked to wear had I not been on the brink of being noted for murder.

Keeping the door locked I crawled out of the window I had opened with force earlier. I scaled my way down to the ground and searched the city of a good place to dispose of the bodies. My exterior was composed but inside I was freaking out. I couldn't believe what I had done. I was a complete failure. I would never be able to return to the Cullen's; they would never have such a monster. I knew Edward had been right about me.

I found keys to one of the victims BMW SUVs parked a block away. Thankfully I found a placed to hide my mess. I prayed that no one would ever find out what I did. I never went back to the house. I couldn't bring myself to face it again. I just left the car in an Alley in town and found the cheapest hotel in the area. I still had my old college fund in the bank and I used it. I had no idea how much time passed, I just sat in the hotel, allowing time to continue around me, I didn't deserve to live and I couldn't die. I didn't allow myself to feed; I couldn't trust myself to make decisions on any creature's destiny. It felt like no time and forever had happened all at one time.

I must have spent days without making a single move. Outside my little universe that was my room, the world turned and moved without me. Night turned to day, then back to night again. I lost count on how many times this happened. My mind played a continuous reel of what happened between Edward and I. I saw all of the good and the bad. I'm not sure which moments hurt worse; the good or the bad. Every one we had seemed so far away now. I wished I could go back in time and relive it all. I felt so much pain from every memory. I wanted and needed that pain though.

I would never allow myself to forget any of it. I would sit here and relieve all of these moments for the rest of time, if it meant I could be with him. I hated thinking of our last moments together, but I had to. I had to remember that this life was real, even if I didn't want this reality. For a long time I was determined to live in this pain.

After a long time, my mind would still for periods, and eventually it became easier to live in the still moments. Eventually I lost all that I had clung to. I didn't purposefully forget, I just chose to not be. I chose to not think anymore, to not be present in my thoughts. I chose to be numb and it was easier.

I was so focused on nothing that I didn't even hear that I had company. The next thing I remember was a hard slap across my face. If I didn't know any better I would say I had a pretty big crack to show for it.

"Bella Marie Swan, how could you do this to me?"

I turned in my zombie like state to see Alice more upset than I had ever seen. She had caused the sharp pain to my jaw. I said nothing; I only apathetically stared into her face.

"Do you have any idea, any idea how long we have been searching for you?" She said still furious. "Ugh, you smell like a rotting baby diaper. Have you not showered, Bella? Honestly, what's wrong with you?"

"You can just leave, Alice. I don't need your company." I said blankly.

"You have some nerve Bella, if you weren't dead I would kill you right now." She said sternly. She walked out of the room, leaving the door wide open. She was still within view when she spoke to a figure outside of my view.

"I don't know what to do? She is a zombie, she isn't even her anymore." She spoke to the mystery figure.

I stayed focused on a painting above the hotel room TV that I had been looking at for what must have been days at this point. It wasn't a particularly interesting painting, but it was there and I did not want to be. I suddenly felt an embrace under my legs and behind my back. Someone had picked me up and was carrying me out of the room. To my deepest surprise, my savior in that moment was none other than Rosalie Hale.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note:

I'm glad most of you seem to be enjoying the story. The reviews are very helpful! Next chapter has more Rosella. Enjoy :)

Chapter 6- A Tale of a Mother's Love

I laid in the back seat with my head-on Alice's lap all the way home. I was still in my catatonic state, but I do remember that Rosalie drove while Jasper rode in the passenger's seat. I heard their conversation but offered no contribution.

"Have you ever seen this Jas?" Rosalie wondered to him. Her tone was not as cold and harsh as I was used to. It seemed a little more inquisitive, like I was a subject in her study.

"No, unfortunately I have not." He said as he looked back at me. I continued to stare straight ahead blankly. "I have heard of vampires petrifying, but that takes decades of remaining still. I'm not sure how long it has been since she has fed either. It could possibly have something to do with this. I'm afraid all I have are theories."

"Carlisle will probably be able to help. I don't see her passing or being in danger in the future. I mostly see this." Alice offered some help to the conversation. She played with my hair as she spoke. It was actually kind of nice, I probably would have appreciated it at a different time, but it reminded me of how my mom used to comfort me.

"I hope that she can move on and forgive herself for all those men." Jasper spoke trying to make conversation.

"Jasper, we don't actually know if she did that. We only have assumptions at this point, and it's probably not a good idea to talk about it in case she is processing any of what we are saying." Alice spoke scolding Jasper.

"I know new born vampires Alice, I mean it's possible that another person or creature left a house full of blood. Maybe five missing men over the course of one night is just coincidence. I guess we will just have to wait and see if she remembers anything." He sounded optimistic, Alice only growled in response.

"Maybe its best that you keep all that to yourself, Alice is protective of this one." Rosalie said half serious, half teasing.

The rest of the drive was silence, only music on the radio. I was a little surprised that they were listening to today's R&B radio. When we got home, Jasper carried me into the house, I did protest, I just didn't care. He brought me in and set me on my bed. Esme was already there with Carlisle. They both seemed concerned. Carlisle shined a light in my eyes and tried to get me to answer a few questions. I didn't even allow myself to think of the answers. Carlisle waited patiently, but after some time of my only answer being silence I turned over away from him to my side. He seemed so concerned, but I just wanted to be alone. I didn't deserve his compassion and I wasn't ready to receive it.

After some time, Esme asked if she could speak with me alone. Carlisle, Alice, and Jasper left the room. Esme came and sat near my shoulder against my back, I think she faced me, because she placed her hand on my shoulder. She just sat with me for what seemed to be forever. She gently touched my shoulder in the most comforting way. She was probably the best creature I had ever met. My only thought was that she was wasting her time with me.

"Bella, sweet heart, I want to tell you a story that only Carlisle knows. I want to tell you about my life. I was born in 1895 in Columbus, Ohio. I had a very good life as a child. I was always getting into trouble. I had always wanted to teach, and I did get to eventually. My family pressured me to marry a man I didn't love when I was only twenty-two. Charles was a very impatient man, he had very strict standards. I found myself upsetting him often, and eventually when I did he would beat me for it. During the war, he was sent away to fight in the draft, but he did come back. I secretly hoped he wouldn't, but he did. As soon as he was back he had me pregnant. For the first time since I met him, I was happy. I was truly so happy, but I didn't want my baby to grow up with such an abusive father. I did something that not many women of my day did, I ran away."

She continued, seemingly optimistic that this story might make me feel something again.

"I moved a couple of times to stay hidden but I eventually became a teacher. Life was hard, it was so hard to be a single woman with a baby on the way. But It was worth all the work just to know that this baby was away from its foul father. Life can be cruel however, I found that out when I gave birth to my sweet baby boy. He was born with an infection, he only lived two days. My baby had become my reason to live, and just like that he was gone. I couldn't take the pain, I bottled it up for some months, but my life was worthless. After only a few months I decided to kill myself."

Her tone turned gloomy, she seemed as though she would be crying if she could.

"I jumped from a local cliff and expected to die. Destiny has a funny way of fulfilling desires in ways you don't imagine. Carlisle found me, not in the park but in the morgue. You see, the men that had found me thought I was as good as dead. They didn't even try to save me, and they couldn't hear a heartbeat once I was at the hospital. Carlisle was nearby on an assignment and he heard my heart. He heard my heartbeat. He decided to change me and I have been grateful since."

"I bet you didn't murder five men in cold blood after the love of your existence left you!" I had turned and shouted at her. I broke out of my catatonic state to lash out at the woman that had been so gentle with me. She didn't deserve that but I was hurting. I didn't think she really had any idea what I was going through.

"Bella, I'm not finished with my story." I stared at her for a moment, feeling guilty that I had yelled at her. I turned away again and laid back down on my pillow. I resumed my careful watch of the far wall.

"After I was turned, I didn't have an easy go at this life like Carlisle did. Sure, he had his own set of struggles when he had been turned, but I had struggles he had never dealt with. He and Edward were in control of their lust, I was a loose cannon compared to them. I did not murder five men in cold blood Bella, but I have slipped up on several occasions more than you. None of the rest but Carlisle know this. I carried a lot for guilt for a long time. I've never been perfect at this life, but I have a family that loves me and that helps me be a better person. That same family loves and accepts you too Bella."

"I don't want this anymore." I spoke softly.

"This life can offer you more than you ever imagined. If you can learn to forgive yourself and move on than you will learn to love all that it has to offer. It hurts us to see you so self-loathing. We are all worried about you."

"Do the others think I caused all those men to go missing?"

"I don't really know, but you don't ever need to answer that for them if you don't want to. It can be our secret. I know more than anyone that it takes practice to control your hunger. Something like the loss of a loved one can force you to lash out in the most gruesome and horrible ways. I understand." She still spoke softly.

"If Edward can't stand to be around me because of the monster than I have become, how can the rest of them?" I spit out.

"No one thinks of you as a monster. Edward had a lot more going on within him than he let on. He left to let you live freely without him. Some day you will forget that you ever missed him. Until then, you have us and your family, love."

"I can't promise anything, I can't even process anything. I don't want anyone to worry about me though. I will try and do whatever you all want me to. I have nothing else to live for." I said quietly.

"I love you Bella, Carlisle and the rest of the family loves you too. We will do everything we can to help you and make this easier. I have an idea that I want to pass by Carlisle. I think it might help you."

She stood up and spoke in a slightly louder voice. "Carlisle, hun, can you come back in here."

Within a few seconds, Carlisle was entering the door. He was gentle in his demeanor. I felt like they saw me as a bomb that could explode at any minute. It was nice that they did seem to care that much about me though.

"What is it?" He said.

"I think it might be good for all of us girls to get away. I think that maybe a place of seclusion may be helpful. I was thinking of our cabin in Alaska."

"I'm not arguing, but I'm not sure that I understand how seclusion will help?" Carlisle questioned confused.

"She needs sometime with people who can understand what she is going through. She needs to learn how to live this life that we life. I think it might be helpful for myself to be with her and teach her. I identify with her honey."

"Ok, well I trust you Esme, would it be just you two?"

"Well, I think it would be good for Alice to be there, she is her best friend. I also think Rosalie could be of help. I have been told that Rosalie has a way of getting through to her mind in certain situations. She does also have a past that could offer some wisdom." Esme said suggestively. It was obvious that she was trying to hint what the problem was without saying it. Esme was sweet to try to conceal my obvious guilt in the missing peoples. Carlisle seemed to have a lightbulb go off after a moment of thinking.

"I understand, I think that is a great idea. Maybe some time in the great white north will be therapeutic. Would you be ok with that Bella?" he spoke to me now.

"Sure, I'll go. What does Charlie think I've been doing this week though?"

Esme was a little confused by my question. I didn't understand how I could have confused her, but Carlisle seemed to follow. He decided to answer the question for the both of them.

"Bella." He sighed. "You had been gone for weeks."

A small panic ran through me. I spit out my next question.

"What did you tell Charlie? Does my mom know?"

"Emmett was able to get into your email and send her emails as if he was you. She thinks you are fine and with Charlie. Alice wrote Charlie and sent him post cards. She wrote him that you broke your phone and that you decided to stay with a friend in phoenix to finish out the year there. It wasn't our best story, but we were left with few options."

"I was gone for weeks? I thought it had been days at most."

"Unfortunately, you were missing for almost four weeks. We only found you after Emmett finally got into your bank account online. You had several days charges at the motel we found you at. We were following the story of the missing men in Seattle, but no more people had turned up missing. We couldn't confirm that you were involved and we figure that even if you were, that you had moved on."

"We don't really need to rehash any of that right now, honey." Esme cut in on what Carlisle was explaining. He looked to her and understood that she was giving him a cue to stop talking.

"Bella, would you be ok with going downstairs and seeing the others. They have been worried about you." Carlisle asked.

"Erm, sure, I might as well try to act alive."

We walked down to see Emmett, Alice, and Jasper standing watching me come down the stairs. Rosalie was sitting on the couch reading a magazine. Emmett didn't let my feet touch the floor, he scooped me up into a big bear hug on the last step.

"Bells! I'm so glad you are ok. I missed you buddy."

"I missed you too Emmett." I was still a little bland, but I was trying. I gave a small smile to show that I did care for him. The others greeted me and hugged me.

"We have an idea to run by you. A favor of sorts." Carlisle addressed the group.

"Anything for Bells!" Emmett still clung to me.

"Well, thank you Emmett, but this really just requires the girls here." I saw Rosalie's head shoot up to pay attention. She didn't seem particularly happy to see me, but she didn't overtly show me signs that she hated me. I suppose this was progress.

"Bella is going to need some time to get over what happened to her while she was gone, and with Edward. Esme and I think it would be best if she spent some time with you girls in our cabin outside of Denali."

"Of course, this will be so fun. Anything for you, bestie. I'll be there for sure!" Alice said cheerfully.

"I actually don't think I am needed there. No, I am sure I am not needed." Rosalie spoke up.

"Rosalie, I think it would be helpful for you to join us." Esme addressed her.

"I don't want to go, I have some projects I am working on here and I don't know if you have noticed, but Bella and I aren't even remotely friends." Rosalie protested.

"No better time than now to see if you can become friends Rose." Esme said in her best mother tone.

"This is ridiculous. We hate each other, and up until now I have been very patient with this whole thing." Rosalie got up and moved past the group up the stairs.

"I don't hate you, Rosalie." I said as she passed me. She paused for just a micro second and in that time, we made eye contact. She continued, clearly uncomfortable by my comment. I heard her slam her bedroom door. Well, at least only two out of seven Cullen's despised me.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note:

Hello all. So I received a question or comment about Emmett and Rosalie being mated. In this story they are together, yes. That is part of the conflict that will arise, so hang tight on that. It will all work itself out, whether it be in peace or in conflict, that part we will have to see. As always, you and your reviews are appreciated. Enjoy.

Chapter 7- Breaking the Ice

Alice helped me pack for our trip, and by that, I mean she packed for me. I sat on the bed while she buzzed around my room collecting everything I might need and everything else too. I sat quietly listening the house around me. I could hear Emmett downstairs with Jasper watching TV. Carlisle was doing some work in his office. I heard Esme come in and sit on his desk. They talked so lovingly to each other. I stopped listening at that point, because I felt like I was invading their privacy. To be honest, I wasn't up for hearing that after everything with Edward anyways.

I re-positioned on the bed and put my ear to the wall to listen to the room next to me. Rosalie had been inside her room ever since her outburst, she was listening to low music, it was pretty peaceful. I could hear it clearly, but I had never heard the song. I sounded like a very old song, the kind that took a whole band with brass. I tried to listen past the music, I wondered what she if she was packing or protesting our trip still. I didn't hear her moving around. As I concentrated harder, I almost thought she had went away and left the music on to fool the others. I heard the slightest sound, it was the sound of a pencil writing. She was writing something, and from the sound of it she was writing a whole novel.

Maybe I should go make things better with her. I could tell her that I don't need her to go and that she can focus on her projects. It was my fault after all that she had the car to work on. Maybe if I told her to stay she would think about hating me less.

"You know its rude to listen in on others." Alice spoke, breaking me out of my trance. I must have been scrunching my face in my concentration. I didn't even notice her coming back from the living room, or leaving for that matter.

"How do you know I am listening?" I was curious.

"Well, for one, your ear is right up against that wall there" She said, like the smart ass she is. "And two, I can see what you were about to do. It won't help, it's not really your fault. Carlisle and Esme want her to come. She just likes to be dramatic." She spoke matter-of-factly.

"I just don't want to always be the focus of the wrath of Rosalie." I said sadly.

"You won't be, I promise." Alice said cheerfully.

Alice was just closing up the last suit case when we heard a soft knock at the bedroom door. The door opened enough for Esme to peek her head through. Esme gave us both a smile seeing that we were ready to go.

"Are we ready?" Esme asked unnecessarily.

"We are, I just need to take it all down and tell Jas goodbye." Alice spoke.

"Ok, well I have packed everything in my car, so Alice, you can try to fit as much as you can in there, I should have expected you would bring more than could fit in one car. I'll meet you both at the car."

She was out the door. Alice grabbed up a few bags and excused herself to her room to meet Jasper. I decided to gather my other two bags and work my way downstairs. I was dreading this trip, but I wanted to make my family happy. It was the least I could do.

I shuffled my way out of the room and shut my door. Before I set off down the stairs I passed Edwards room. Curiosity struck me, so I set my things down and opened his door softly. I knew the others could hear if they wanted to, but I didn't want to announce my curiosity more than I needed to. The room was dark, I turned on the switch that's location was embedded in my memory. The room was nearly the same to the naked eye. I could tell he had taken the things that were of value to him. My picture framed on his desk was still in its position. He had taken some records, some clothes, a bag and few other loose items. I noted that he had taken a book I had given to him for his birthday last year.

I felt a streak of pain run through me. I'm not sure what would have been worse, seeing nothing in his room or this. This left me with hope that he would return. I wanted to hope, I wanted to believe this would soon be just a painful memory.

I walked downstairs and outside, but slowed when I saw Esme sternly whispering to Rosalie on the other side of the car. I saw her holding her finger up towards Rosalie as if she were scolding her. Rosalie broke eye contact with Esme to look at me. Esme stopped and turned to see me as well. I had the distinct feeling that they had been talking about me. This was awkward.

Esme resumed her normal caring demeanor and approached me. I moved to meet her almost at the car. I had assumed we all take Esme's car, but suitcases filled the back seat of her Mercedes AMG G65 SUV. Her car was normally big enough to fit us all but she had some supplies for the cabin packed in the trunk. I looked at the other car next to hers and it was a sporty cherry red Land Rover SUV. I knew just by the color that this was none other than Rosalie Hale's car.

"Bella, we are going to have to take two cars. The weather might get pretty hairy up there so I asked Rosalie to let us use her Land Rover. She is going to drive her car and I will drive my baby." Esme said grabbing my suitcases and stuffing them into Rosalie's trunk. Alice was suddenly next to me with her last few bags. Esme took them and put them next to mine.

"So, who wants to ride with who?" Esme said closing the trunk door.

"I will ride with you Esme!" Alice spoke in a surprisingly bubbly tone.

At that moment, I was pretty sure my jaw dropped. I was in awe of the betrayal that Alice had just delivered to me. She must have been trying to torture me. I didn't respond or fight the suggestion, I only quietly climbed in the passenger seat of the beautiful car.

I saw Alice in the car beside me in the passenger's seat. She and I made eye contact, I chose to show her how much I appreciated this by giving her a glare. She noticed and responded with a smirk. My glare was broken by Rosalie getting in the driver's seat. The smell of Lilac, raspberries with a hint of sandalwood filled the car. Despite her attitude, she did smell and look nice. 4

She didn't speak as she put her seat belt on, and started up the car, I planted my eyes straight forward. I felt anxiously awkward. I fidgeted with my fingers a little, not knowing what to do to take my mind off the situation. I had to spend the next two days in a car with her. Maybe I could convince Alice to switch with me at some point, it was the least she could do.

It took only three and a half hours to reach the Canadian border. I spent most of the time silently trying to distract myself from everything my mind wanted to focus on. I couldn't help but think of Edward, wondering where he was. I thought of Charlie, hoping he was doing alright, wishing I could just be home making dinner for him and watching TV. It's funny how much I missed that. I thought of everything that had happened recently and how hungry I was. I was so hungry, but at the same time I could never picture myself eating again. Mostly, I thought of the thick air of tension in the car.

Rosalie had some acoustic mix playing off of her phone in the car. The music was actually a little relaxing, had I been a human I would have probably fallen asleep. Despite the relaxing music, I couldn't relax. I was an anxious wreck, and it only took me to the Canadian border to crack.

"What's your problem with me Rosalie?" I spit out as if we had been in the middle of a huge argument. I sort of stuttered on the word problem and I felt like an idiot. There was no way she could take me seriously.

She kept driving in silence for what seemed to be an eternity. I started to wonder if I had actually said that out loud or if my hunger was making me crazy. She didn't even react, she just calmly continued driving smoothly. I think that angered me even more, I was working myself up to say something else. I just couldn't think of anything better to say. I was focused on thinking of something better to say to get her to respond when she actually did.

"Why do you think I have an issue with you?" She said coolly.

Wasn't it obvious? She had been rude to me since the moment I met her. She showed her opposition to me at every turn. I felt like she couldn't stand to be around me, and then there was the car thing. Was this another way for her to insult me?

"Well, I mean… it's just…" I wasn't sure what to say. I knew why I thought that, but in that moment, I was just shocked. I felt defeated.

"So, you think I have a problem with you, but you don't know why? Or you just don't want to actually confront me about it?" Rosalie said straight faced.

"I mean, it's just everything. You obviously don't like me and I'm not sure what I did to…I know I wrecked your car, and I'm so sorry for that. I just don't get why you are…"

"Such a bitch?" she answered for me. She turned to look at me, she gave me a smirk. "You wouldn't be the first person to tell me that if you said it."

"I wasn't going to put it that way." I said trying to be believable.

"As much as you may believe it, the world doesn't revolve around you. Maybe I just don't see what's so amazing about the perfect, helpless, little Bella swan." She said mockingly.

"I am not perfect. I am a complete mess!" I said shocked that she even thought that.

"Ever since you walked into Edward's life, that's about all I have heard. The whole family bends over backwards to help you at every turn. I simply just don't share the same affection for you." She said apathetically.

"Why even help me? Why not let me fail in Port Angeles?" I spit out.

She was quiet for a minute. I wished she didn't torture me with moments of silence when she didn't answer me right away. I think she knew it bothered me, therefore did it more.

"It wasn't for you, I couldn't let you ruin our lives in Forks. Someone could have recognized you and that would have been it for us there. I hate moving."

"I think you care more than you let on Rosalie." I said turning away to look out the window. I was trying not to pout but my pride was hurting.

"You don't know the first thing about me." She responded in a whisper that was almost too quiet to hear. I didn't let on that I heard, I just focused my attention out the window. We kept driving in silence for another couple of hours after that.

We stopped to get gas and stretch our legs. I was so glad to see Esme and Alice, I had forgiven Alice just because I was so happy to see her. We were at a remote gas station along the highway. The town area seemed like it didn't get much traffic.

"How's the drive going girls?" Esme questioned cheerfully.

"Super." Rosalie said in a sarcastic tone.

"Rose, remember our conversation earlier." Esme warned trying to remain light hearted.

"How could I forget?" Rosalie stated as she got back in the car.

"Are you doing OK, honey?" Esme spoke to me.

"Yeah, we are having a good time." I said trying to be convincing. I was a little awkward and probably unbelievable. I didn't want to make anything worse with Rosalie, I mean she could hear our conversation pretty clearly. I hoped that Alice would offer to switch with me but she didn't. In fact, she quickly jumped back into the safe haven of Esme's car. I slowly walked back to my side and got back in the car. This was going to be a long drive.

The landscape was changing around us. The drive was actually pretty beautiful, we were driving around deep canyons with mountains in the distance still holding on to their Ice caps. We had only been driving for about an hour and to my surprise Rosalie spoke to me.

"I am not always like this you know." She said blankly.

"Oh, erm…" I didn't know how to respond. She didn't seem to notice.

"I have been generally discontent with this life, yes, but I am not a bad person." She sounded like she had been chewing on this topic for a while.

"I don't think you are." I said.

"People always make assumptions about me, I'm sure you have. I have high expectations for myself, I have always had to live up to expectation. You wouldn't understand what it means to be a Hale." She spoke with mocking pride.

"What does it mean?" I questioned, astonished that she was choosing to speak to me.

"Perfection. Things were a lot different growing up when I did. My family expected the world of me. I was to be a perfect lady, beautiful, humble, independent, submissive, witty and quiet all at once. Bred to make the perfect house wife for a wealthy gentleman." She spoke with a smirk on her face.

"That sounds terrible, actually." I said hoping I didn't offend. I was a little nervous that I did. She cocked an eyebrow my direction. Thankfully she also smiled, I felt like I could relax again.

"It was a different era. Women in that day were not supposed to become anything but a support to their husband, at least in my family's social circles."

"What era is this?" I realized as I asked that I didn't know anything about my travel partner.

"I was born in 1915, by the time I was of adolescence it was the early 1930's."

"I didn't know you were that old. Was your family rich or something?" I asked.

"Not particularly. My family was wealthy before the depression, my father owned a successful real estate and contracting firm prior to the depression. Houses stopped selling once the depression hit. My father also had some stocks that were worth nothing overnight. It didn't take long for his business to fail. The failure of his business put tremendous stress on him. His pride kept him out of the social assistance program lines. He took a job as an iron worker after that. He was paid relatively well as an iron worker, but it was nothing compared to the wealth he had before he lost his fortune. My father was a good man, he didn't deserve any of that."

"I'm sorry that happened to your family. Did your mother have a job." I asked innocently. She laughed cynically.

"My mother never worked a day in her life. That was common back then though. She was a socialite. Her only job was to train me to become a perfect prize for a wealthy man. Her hope was that my family would continue to be invited to events held by Rochester's Elite." She spoke as if she detested her mother.

"Sounds like she was hard to grow up with. My mother was always carefree." I laughed as I spoke. "Most of the time I felt like I was raising her. Were you ever married?"

Her attitude changed very quickly with my question. Her face fell flat, her attention and focus were back on the road. I could see her hands grip the steering wheel tighter. I wondered if I had just offended her, although I wasn't sure how I could have. I decided to try to amend the situation.

"I mean, if that's too personal, I'm sorry. I just thought were opening up." I looked down as I finished speaking.

"You and I are nothing alike Bella. This is not a moment, and we are not bonding. I just needed to correct you on an assumption you might have had of me. That is all." She said harshly.

Just like that, the Rosalie Hale I had come to know was back.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note:

Ok, ok, ok. So, I had a question about the shield ability. My answer to that is that I have been thinking about it. I have a direction I could go with the story that includes it and one that doesn't. I haven't decided on that because its a bit far off yet. That is my super vague and not very helpful answer. (sorry)

This is a bit of a turning point in the story. We have Rosalie softening up a bit towards Bella, its subtle but its there. From this point on their relationship will build. Again, this is a slow burn, but take comfort in the fact that Rosalie will slowly stop hating Bella from this chapter on. Who know's, maybe they will be friends soon. One can hope, right?

I already have the next few chapters written, so you should be getting some up dates over the next few days. Thank you again for all of the reviews. Enjoy.

Chapter 8- Northern Lights

We drove for an eternity. We stopped every once in a while, for gas, but we just kept going. I sat quietly, watching my surroundings; I had never been to Canada. It was pretty, but after a while it all looked the same to me. The sun had set some time ago when Rosalie switched her music to a playlist that included eighty's, ninety's and some of the music I heard regularly on the radio. I was pretty surprised when I heard "gangster's paradise" come on. My jaw dropped and my head slowly turned to her.

"You've got to be kidding me." I said in shock. Rosalie was probably the whitest person on the planet. I assumed this was an Emmett track.

"What?" she said in a snarky tone.

"The song." I said.

"I like a mix. You can only listen to the same songs so many times before you have to branch out."

"ok, I mean, good for you." I said confused. She gave me a confused look.

"I just wouldn't expect this from you. If I had to guess a ninety's artist that you would like I would have assumed something more like N'Sync or the Backstreet boys." I said as if it were obvious.

"I was never a fan of the pretty man boys. Call me crazy, but I wasn't into men with perms. I was so happy when that craze was over."

I shrugged my shoulders. I guessed it was true that you can't judge a book by its cover. The rest of the drive was more comfortable. I didn't attempt to talk to Rosalie; she didn't attempt to talk to me. I must have zoned out for a while staring into the blackness outside. Before I knew it, it was daylight and we were there.

The cabin was less of a cabin and more of a small logged mansion. I hadn't seen another house of building for miles. Esme was right when she said it would be seclusion. The landscape was incredible; snow still clung to trees in the distance. We all had gotten out of our cars with a few groans and stiff muscles. I couldn't stop staring at the world around me. I was in my own world when Alice came up and pinched my side. I jumped startled at her action, but she had me quickly forgiving her when she put her arm around me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I wish Edward was here to see it." I said sadly.

"Ok, so new rule. No more speaking of him. I love my brother, but it will not help you get better to dwell on him." She said sternly.

"I guess. So, what do we do now?" I asked.

"We can do anything! I do want to grab a bite to each though. I'm starving!" She said grabbing her stomach dramatically.

"I'm not really hun…" I was cut off.

"Nonsense! You haven't eaten in weeks Bella. You can't fool me. You are going to go hunting with me and you are going to eat." She scolded me.

"Ok. Fine."

We helped bring in the suitcases before going hunting. The inside of the cabin was something from a magazine. I felt like I was in a celebrity's Aspen vacation home. There was a long winding staircase with dark mahogany railings still in half cut log shapes. The chandelier in the foyer was made from several moose antlers. A large Bearskin rug met you at the front hall. The house had too many rooms for me to count at first glance. I wondered how long it took Esme to perfect the look of this house.

The room that was given to me was just as large as my room in the Cullen house at Forks. The difference was that it had a large three-panel window with a seat to look out. I was surprised that this was not their permanent home. I didn't have a chance to put my things away before Alice rushed me out the door to get food.

We ran just a few miles away before starting to track our prey. My throat was burning severely with the scent of bear coming my way. I felt a small frenzy start within me and my animalistic nature begged to come out. I fought hard against. I still didn't feel that I could ever take a life again. I would just live with the burning fury forever. My face showed my pain when Alice questioned me about it.

"Bella, you can't go on like this forever." She said genuinely caring for me.

"I have to, I can't do this Alice." I said, I would have been crying if I could.

"It's just a bear, you will be torturing yourself. You know you can talk to me about what happened, right? It might help."

I kind of lost it for a minute, the hurt and the anger within me was too much. I didn't want to be hunting and I didn't want to talk. I turned to run away, and then I was gone. The last thing I heard was Alice calling for me. I didn't want her following me, I changed my direction every minute or so. I ran until I was in solid snow. I did it again; I shut everything and everyone out. I didn't have to talk or pretend for a while. I could just be. That's all I wanted, to not have to feel.

I sat under a large tree covered in thick white snow. It was complete stillness all around. Time seemed to stand still. I sat there until darkness overcame the light. I planned on staying there forever.

Alice returned home in a panic. She abruptly entered the house and promptly approached the other two in the living room. Esme was watching a show on cooking but immediately made note of the look on Alice's face and became anxious.

"What happened?" She stood up alert. This caught Rosalie's attention and she put down the magazine on classic cars down.

"I lost her! We were tracking a bear and we had a fight and I lost her. I can't find her in my vision. She isn't making any decisions or her might is blank or she is…" Her mouth was open in horror, as she couldn't finish her sentence.

"She is probably fine, Alice. She would basically have to throw herself into a burning fire to die. She is probably off pouting her pathetic life." Rosalie opened her Magazine back up and began to browse once more.

Alice became angry. Her chest was puffed out and her face was contorted into a grimace. She pushed forward aggressively to Rosalie.

"I know you care more than you let on! Quit being an ass and help me find her!" Alice shouted.

Rosalie calmly put her magazine on the coffee table in front of her and uncrossed her legs. She stood up with her back straight and turned to face Alice. She furrowed her brow.

"No, I don't actually care, Alice. I wish you would stop pushing me to." Rosalie said accusatorily.

"What are you talking about?" Alice said dramatically.

"I saw your little move with the car ride. Just accept that I don't give a rat's ass about your precious pet!" Rosalie raised her voice and pushed towards Alice.

"Girls! What has gotten into you?" Esme moved to separate them.

"Is it so bad that I want Bella to feel welcome? She is scared, and hurting Rose. I think I remember hearing that you were like that once, or do you not remember?" Alice said with disgust.

"Alice! Settle down. We will find…" Rosalie cut her off.

"I was never like that; my situation was different and you know that! How dare you?"

"Listen, you both need to calm down. Alice, you need to stop lashing out at Rosalie. Rosalie, I'm ashamed of you. Bella needs our help and compassion. I know you can be difficult sometimes, but how can you be so heartless?" Esme scolded both of them.

The two girls stood for a brief moment locked eye to eye. Esme stood with her arms between them, pushing back at them from each side. Both girls looked ready to have a go at it, but after Alice did not budge Rosalie conceded.

"Fine. I'll help you look for her. I still think you baby her too much. She needs to learn to deal with this herself." Rosalie spit out before she turned to leave.

"I'll go north." And with that Rosalie was gone.

"I guess I'll go south." Alice rolled her eyes and followed leaving the door open.

Esme sat down and took a second to breath. She wasn't used to so much hostility in her family. She put her hands on her head and wiped her face. She only allowed herself a minute to wallow, then got up and recomposed herself. In an instant, she was off to help. She took to the west in search of her adoptive daughter.

Rosalie did her best job to track Bella. Not to her surprise, Bella was pretty sloppy. Alice had never really had to track anyone because of her ability, it was sort of expected that she wouldn't be able to pick up on the signs of her trail. Rosalie noticed how much the trail changed direction and figured out pretty quickly that Bella didn't want to be found.

Nevertheless, she continued in her pursuit of precious Bella Swan. The whole time she was complaining in her mind about her. She often ranted in her mind about things, she noticed lately Bella had been a star in those rants. She did start to mull over what Alice and Esme had said. Rosalie knew she was pretty stubborn but her family did know how to crack her stone-cold apathy. She had not thought about things from the angle that Alice had given her. The more she thought about it, as much as she hated to admit it, the more that Bella was similar to her. It's not like she fit the mold, but she was going through the same basic situation that Rosalie had when she was turned. She lost someone she believed she loved, she was turned as a result of an injury inflicted by someone else preying on her, and then there was the uncontrolled bloodlust that had her doing things she didn't want to.

"God Dammit Alice." Rosalie said out loud in disbelief.

Rosalie preferred to just hate her. It was so much easier to ignore her, being nice was work. Why couldn't things have just stayed the same? Why did the Cullen's have to take pity on another creature, causing their world to change yet again? She was exhaustingly irritated at everything.

She caught Bella's scent in the middle of her drawn out self-pity and changed direction for the final time. She was a bit impressed by the distance she had to come to find her. She had been running for at least two hours and the area was much colder. The night sky wore the Aurora Borealis, it still held a position at the top of Rosalie's favorite sights. She slowed her pace to a gentle trod as she approached Bella.

I was deep into, well, into thoughtlessness looking at the sky. I heard gentle footsteps in the snow approaching. I didn't bother to turn, if it had been a bear I didn't really care at that point. He could have the upper hand, because I didn't want any of this life anymore. I had tried; I gave it a good try.

"It's beautiful." Rosalie said approaching. She sat down in the snow beside me. I was surprised it was her and not an animal ready to try its best with me. In fact, if I had to guess it was a member of the Cullen family, I think I would have pick any other Cullen as a guess before her.

I didn't respond, I didn't turn my attention to her. I just stared blankly at the sky. I didn't want her insults. I didn't want her fake pity or her opinion of the failure I was. I didn't want her telling me how pathetic or helpless I was.

"The others are worried about you, Alice nearly bit my head off about it." She laughed a little, I didn't know she was capable of that, "She can be so high strung."

We sat in silence for a long while. For a brief time, she seemed content to not talk. We both continued to watch the colors whirl and change above us. We sat there until he colors began to fade, the sun was trying to wake up below the horizon.

"Bella, you can't give up. I know what it's like to not want this. I still don't want this, but it gets easier. I know I sound like a cliché with my "It gets better" speech, but it truly does." She used air quotes. After a moment, she continued.

"You don't have to talk to me. Hell, I'm not sure why you would. I wouldn't be the first person to think to talk to. Just don't give up. That family of crazy vampires loves you. I should know, that's all they talk about. I am sure your family loves and misses you too. If you don't want to live or continue, do it anyways, for all of them."

I turned and stared at her for a moment. Her face was a little bit softer towards me than it had been before. I think she was trying her best to be approachable.

"Ok." I said, and with that I stood up and dusted my pants off. She stood up after me and mimicked my movements, although she was a little more dramatic about it. I could tell she didn't like being dirty or wet from the snow.

"Shall we make our way back?" She said as cheerfully as she could. I knew she was trying, but I still didn't buy her cheerful attitude. I shook my head in agreement. We set out on our way back, I was still unsure if I really wanted to give all this another try.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note:

Thanks again for the reviews, please continue to review and let me know what you think! I could use it as this is my first story. Enjoy. :)

Chapter 9- Satisfied?

After we got back it only took Alice and Esme about an hour to meet us. Alice saw what happened and came back. They were both happy to see me; Esme was extra sweet towards me. I was still pretty quiet, but the others didn't seem to mind. They gave me a little bit of space. I laid in my room listening to music for a couple days. They occasionally checked on me. I know they were hoping to see a change in but I didn't show many signs that reassured them. On the fourth day Esme decided to try a different approach. She came to check on me but this time she a little sterner in the way she treated me. She sat down next to me on the bed before speaking.

"I am remodeling the office to double as a library. I would like it if you helped me." She said.

"I don't really think…" She interrupted me.

"No, I think this will be good for you. You have to start moving around. So, come on." She said as she got up. She didn't allow me to answer before leaving the room.

I groaned as I sat up. I sat and stared at the doorway she had just left for a minute before following her. I had to motivate myself to get up.

I came down stairs and found the office. When I walked in it was already beautiful. Esme had started bringing in painting supplies wearing her paint-covered overalls. She looked me up and down.

"Are you going to wear that? You will get paint on those clothes." She remarked. I just shrugged and came over to help.

I eventually got into what we were doing. We painted the walls and then we made an entire wall a bookcase out of shelves that she made. She was really talented, actually. After that she wanted to remove the carpet and so we did. After that we started putting in hardwood type flooring. She had to guide me on how to do just about everything but once we got done it looked amazing.

I have no idea how long it took, but for the first time in a long time my mind was focus on more than the thoughts that usually tortured me. I still felt a little numb, but seeing that project finished actually made me feel excited. I felt like I completed a goal and I liked the finished product. Esme and I stared at the room from the doorway. She put her arm around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze.

"Good team work." She sighed.

"This was mostly you… and me fumbling around trying to keep up." I said laughing.

She turned her head to the side as if I grew another head. I realized then that she probably hadn't heard me laugh since I had back from Seattle. I was taken back myself by my laughter. I relaxed and sighed awkwardly, remembering the life that I had.

"It is good to see you coming alive." She said encouraging me.

"It's just hard for me." I said shyly.

"I know, but keep trying." She said.

"I will."

"I think it would help if you had some food in you, sweetie." She said motherly.

"I don't think that's a good idea." I shook my head as if to answer 'no.'

"We can all go, we will be there to help you and encourage you. Give it a try for me."

"Erm…ok…I guess."

Esme went and changed while I was tasked to gather the other two girls for our family hunt. When I asked Alice to come with us she was more than happy to go, she actually cheered. I asked Alice to find Rosalie and ask her, she rolled her eyes but did what I asked. I think she was just so happy that I wanted to hunt that she was willing to do anything for me. No matter how nice Rosalie was trying to be earlier, I still didn't know how I felt about her. She sort of intimidated me still.

We all set out to find our prey together. I had never seen Esme hunt, I was curious to see if she was as beautiful and dainty with a bear caught between her teeth. Alice and Rosalie walked together while Esme and I followed. We caught a scent of a moose nearby and the others immediately looked to me. I think they expected me to go crazy like a rabid dog or something. I didn't, although my throat burned I again had the same problem of guilt. I had an internal battle waging inside me. My vampire was ready for its first meal in a month while my human side was ready to hide under the covers back at the cabin.

"Well, go ahead hun." Esme gave me an encouraging push on the small of my back.

"I…erm…I actually don't know about this." I instinctively took a step back.

"Sure you do Bella, you have got to be starving. I am! I'm having a hard time not going after that thing and it's only been less than a week." Alice said.

"I know I need to, but I don't want to hurt anything!" I felt the pressure bubbling up inside me. I started to walk away. At least this time I wasn't running away. Rosalie caught up to me and got in front of me.

"Listen, I know you are new to this. I know you don't know how to vampire, but you need to do this." She said point blank.

"No, I don't." I fought back, starting to raise my voice in frustration.

"Yes, you do." She said sternly. I didn't understand what the big deal was. Why was my family so intent on me killing things? I pushed past her and continued to walk away. She let me pass but spoke to me without trying to catch up.

"You know what will happen next time you smell a human after not feeding?" She paused. I stopped walking, keeping my back to them. She continued. "You won't be able to control that hunger, that burning will be more intense than you have ever experienced. If you don't feed you are going to go on another rampage. Next time it may not be sick men."

"Rose!" Esme protested her harsh and convicting words.

I turned around angry that she knew it was me, angry that she assumed I would do that again, and most of all angry at myself for the truth of it all. I growled loudly and showed my teeth to her. She didn't move or show any change of demeanor. She stood firm in the path I had made. I growled louder frustrated that she didn't seem to take me seriously. It was then that the emotions boiled over in me.

I hurt the thing closest to me, which happened to be a tree. I punched the tree as hard as I could. The giant timber gave with a loud "Crack" and came falling down. None of us moved. The tree had fallen between the rest of the group and myself. I set off in the fastest sprint I could towards the group. With little effort, I bounced off the tree log and soared over the group. When I landed, I kept running, running towards the moose that had taunted me before.

I caught up to the moose with ease; I didn't pay attention to anything else but catching him. I was within ten feet when I leapt and tackled the beast. Before we even hit the ground, I had sunk my fangs in his thick neck. Blood spewed out and made the snow crimson. It took a matter of seconds for me to drain him; he gave out a final steamy breath into the cold air. The thirst I had was only intensified with the appetizer I had. I continued on a path to find my next victim.

I drained a total of two moose, a dalls sheep and a caribou. My thirst was satiated and I was back in control of myself. I had made a mess of myself; I took in the damage to my saturated clothing. I looked up and around me to see the others close behind. Alice was oddly smiling, Esme was in shock and Rosalie was unreadable as usual. Alice sprang forward and put her arms around me.

"My Bella is back!" She said cheerfully.

Esme leaned in and whispered to Rosalie as Alice hugged me.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Rosalie nodded her head in a way that said "your welcome." After I could get Alice off of me we continued to hunt for the others. Alice took on a grizzly bear while we all watched.

"Is she going to be ok?" I asked leaning to Esme.

"Oh yes. She lives for a challenge."

Alice took down the grizzly seconds after the bear had ripped her shirt. I think she just did it out of anger at that point. The way she brought it to its knees made me think that the previous sparring she was doing was just to toy with it.

Esme and Rosalie both found caribou to feed on. After that we headed back to shower and relax. It had been a full day for sure. If we had been human I'm sure we would have been so tired we couldn't function. Well, had we been human we probably wouldn't have lived through the day we had come to think of it. I haven't known many humans to wrestle a bear. Just Emmett, and from what I hear, he didn't do too well.

After I showered and changed I walked downstairs to see what the others were up to. There was loud music playing. It was old music, band music with brass, it sounded jazzy. When I got to the bottom of the stairs I saw Alice and Esme dancing in the living room to the music. I stood on the last step until Alice noticed me and called me into the room.

"What are you doing?" I questioned.

"Haven't you ever seen dancing?" Alice teased.

"Not like this, what kind of dance is it?"

"We dancing the Foxtrot, it was the popular dance in my time." Esme responded as the two of them whirled around the room.

"Is this swing music?" I asked again feeling like an idiot. It wasn't every day that I heard or saw this. They laughed.

"No, it's ragtime! Swing came later than this." Esme stated smiling. "Rosalie, put on some early swing."

The song started after Rosalie switched tracks on the phone dock. The song sounded very similar, I wasn't sure how they could tell the difference. I must have had a puzzled look on my face because Alice insisted on explaining what this type of music was for.

"Bella, this is the popular music from when I was a teen, its Jazz with a quick tempo. We danced the Charleston. It's the first dance I remember after I was changed. Of course, I don't know what I did before!" Alice said light heartedly. She began to step forward and back quickly, swinging her heels out with each step. She looked kind of funny.

Her and Esme danced together for a few songs, alternating the foxtrot and the Charleston. Sometimes they were just dancing freely to the music. After they were content that I understood the difference they were ready for something new to show me.

"Rose can dance the lindy hop swing, she is really good!" Alice said putting Rosalie on the spot. Up until then she had been sitting near the speakers playing DJ and watching quietly. When she was put on the spot she seemed almost bashful.

"I think Bella been tortured enough by you two, she doesn't need to see more." She said humbly.

"Actually, I would like to see it. If you are up for it." I said boldly. I surprised myself.

She looked at me for a second with a shocked expression. I saw her switch from being surprised to being cocky. She gave a smirk and switched the song. She got up and centered herself on the faux dance floor that was the living room.

"Alice, can you keep up as my partner?"

"Of course." Alice smiled.

The music played, it was a very quick tempo, a sort of bouncy song. I saw the two of them begin to bounce their knees a little and before I knew it they were coupled in a quick paced dance with their feet moving a mile a minute. They kicked out their feet with almost every step and Rosalie twirled Alice around her. I was pretty amazed by the moves they were pulling. Rosalie was picking her up and spinning her one-second. Then she was dipping her the next, she was constantly using her like a rag doll. Alice didn't seem to mind one bit though. They ended the song with Alice straddling Rosalie's hips in a dip.

At first I didn't know how to respond. They were frozen in the position they ended in waiting for my response. Then it came to me.

"But! But can you do The Macarena?" I said with my finger in the air. I guess I was making jokes now.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note:

Another light hearted chapter, I think we needed a few of those though. We will be getting into something darker next chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter 10- A Day Out

The next morning I was in my room reading a book Alice had packed for me when I over heard Esme and Rosalie talking with each other in the new office. I couldn't make out what they were saying due to their low whisper, so I moved from my bed to the floor and put my ear to it.

"I think you should go with her." Esme said.

"I don't know if she can handle going into town. Why can't you just go get the things you need?" Rosalie protested.

"I could, but keeping her here will never help her, she needs guidance on how to be in control, she just fed not more than twelve hours ago, she will be fine with you." She said confidently.

"What do you mean with me? She isn't my pet Esme, we don't even really like each other." She exclaimed.

"You and I both know that she responds to you. You have a way with her that Alice and I don't."

"ok, fine, but if she murder's the town, don't blame me."

"Here is a list of what I need. Why don't you ask her to go yourself."Esme suggested.

I heard Rosalie's footsteps as she walked out of the office and into the living room. I quickly moved back to the bed and put in my headphones. My music was still going, thankfully. I heard her steps get closer to my door and my anxiety rose. I felt stupid for being anxious over Rosalie Hale. It was like I wanted the popular girl to think I was cool. I readjusted my legs a few times to try to look casual. I stopped fidgeting when I heard a soft knock at my door.

"Yes?" My voice cracked. Stupid.

"Its Rosalie, Can I come in?" She was being awfully polite I thought, and then it occurred to me that she had never come to see me in my room.

"Sh-sure." I couldn't stop being weird.

The opened the door to stay standing in the doorway. She took a look around my room, finally landing her eyes on me. She seemed surprised, I wonder why.

"So, Esme needs some things from town, she thinks it might be a good opportunity to see how you do with humans, so…want to try the control thing again?" She said as though she was trying to be unenthused.

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll get ready."

"Well, that was easy." She said and turned to walk to her room. I heard her mumble after she was out of sight "Maybe she is right."

It took me a grand total of two minutes to get ready; I got out of bed, put on shoes and brushed my teeth. No body likes the smell of rotting blood on the breath. I was ready when I noticed that I hadn't actually taken a shower in a long time. I must have smelled pretty bad. I inspected my armpits and confirmed my theory. I panicked for a second; I couldn't have my slightly less than enemy counter part smelling me.

I hurriedly took off my clothes and took the faster shower I have ever performed. I used vampire speed to wash and within another two minutes I was putting my clothes back on. I had just worn the clothes for a few hours and they seemed to smell ok. When I was done I made my way downstairs to find no one. I stepped outside to see Rosalie already in the Range rover waiting. I jumped all of the steps seeming a little too cheery for my own taste.

I realized how stupid I looked about mid jump, therefore I attempted to land casually and gracefully transition into a calm and collected walk. What this actually resulted in was myself landing less than gracefully, stumbling over my footing and partially falling into the bush at the bottom of the steps. I was one slick vampire.

I pretended to act like nothing happened. My hope was that she didn't notice, but my hopes were unfounded. I looked to see her with her head tilted and her brow furrowed. She was definitely trying to figure out how I was still a mess after having vampire reflexes. There was no coming back from my stunt so I did the next best thing. When I opened the car door I owned it.

"Did you see that stair try to trip me?" I said in a way that could only be taken as a joke.

She cocked one eyebrow in silence. I was pretty sure she didn't find me funny, but then she smirked. It was small, but I am almost positive it happened. Just like that we were on our way.

I only took us two hours to get to the small town on the water that had what we needed for Esme. Our drive was mostly us listening to music and enjoying the scenery. Once we were there we found a little parking lot on the outskirts of the "downtown" to park. From there we would walk. We got out of the car and proceeded with our mission.

"If you feel strained in your control, just give me a sign, ok?" She whispered towards my ear. I nodded my head.

"I think I am ok, what I did…I don't ever want that to happen again." I said ashamed.

"Good, then make sure it doesn't."

We stopped first at the local hardware store for some tools. The man behind the counter was too old to be flirting with Rosalie, but that didn't stop him. I wondered if she even noticed when men did it anymore. He asked us "pretty little things" if we needed help carrying the tools. I had never been talked to like that so I didn't even know how to respond. Rosalie told him no and grabbed everything herself. I think she made it a point to show others she was capable.

We made a trip back to the car, we could have carried everything, but that wouldn't have looked right to being carrying all those tools plus whatever else we needed all over town. On our way back into town I decided to break the silence.

"Do you get that all the time?" I asked.

"Get what?"

"Men treating you like some helpless blonde bimbo or like a piece of meat?" I clarified.

"Ever since I can remember. Men are pigs. Most men that is." She shrugged.

"Doesn't that drive you crazy? People never seeing past your …goods?" I struggled to find a way to put that last part. She stopped walking and stared at me.

"My…goods?" She question.

"You know, your physical appearance, the stuff pigs look for. Your … _goods_."

She looked at me as if I had surprised her. Then she kept walking.

"Yes, its one of the things that bother me most about people, actually. I can't say that I haven't used it a time or two to my advantage, but it can be lonely. People hardly ever care about what's going on in my head."

I walked quietly for a moment looking down at my steps as we made our way to our next shop. I wasn't sure what to say. I sort of understood what it felt like to be lonely. I mean, I doubt I ever was that way because of my beauty, but I had always been an outsider. We were both from drastically different walks of life, but I felt like we might have had a little in common.

"What does go on in your head?" I asked a question that would be impossible to answer simply.

"Well, a lot of things I guess. No one has ever asked, forgive me for not knowing how to answer that." She paused to think. "I suppose I think about everything, all of the time. I feel like I consistently have at least ten things on my mind. I think about my family, my projects, my past, my future, everything people are saying around me, how I look, how I should watch what I say, but also how I have just sounded when I didn't watch what I said. It's exhausting." She sighed.

"My mind is like that too. I am always thinking, driving myself crazy." I said

We walked slowly, almost like we were strolling. It was surprisingly comfortable. At least in comparison to how my other encounters had been with her. Rosalie seemed to be deep in thought, she scrunched her face up in a way that made me think she was asking herself questions in her thoughts.

"For how much I have heard everyone obsess over you, I don't actually know much about you. Where did you grow up?" Rosalie questioned.

I was a bit taken back by Rosalie actually asking me a question, but I was excited she wanted to get to know me at all.

"Well, I was born in Forks actually. My Dad doesn't really like change and my mom is a total free spirit. So my mom took me when I was just a toddler and we moved. Several times, but only ever to warm sunny places. My mom is sort of a vacation destination junkie. The last place we ended up was Phoenix; I did my last year of middle school and the first two years of high school there." I said cheerfully. It made me happy to think about Renee.

"So you are more like your father then." She didn't so much question as she did state the obvious. After a second I realized that I should be slightly offended by her meaning.

"What do you mean?" I questioned

"Well, you don't really seem like a free spirit. Maybe it's just from the small snips of time I have spent around you, but you seem content just doing the mundane. I mean, the adventurous things you have done have been from other people suggesting you do them. Like coming to Alaska." She put out her hand as if to showcase the town.

"I can be a free spirit! I ran off by myself and you had to find me. I went to the ballet studio to face a vampire." I said defensively.

"No, what that means is that you are impulsive, and courageous…maybe even a little stupid." She said point blank. She then turned to me and observed my fallen face. "I am kidding about the last part, Bella." She said teasingly, as if to cheer me up. I perked up a little realizing that she was trying to banter.

"At least I can do everyday things without worrying about getting dirty or _breaking a nail_." I teased back.

She seemed amused that I was bold enough to tease her back.

"I think you are actually talking about Alice." She said. She rolled her eyes. "She gets so mad at me when I use the clothes she gets me to work on the cars in.

"I forgot you know how to do that. Where did you learn that?" I asked.

"Well, the first time I learned anything was when my dad taught me. I didn't have a brother so he taught me. He used to do all the work on his cars. I eventually went to school for Diesel Mechanics. That was pretty hard because I was doing this in the fifties and it wasn't exactly something women did. The men didn't take me seriously, until I was smarter and faster than them of course. I went back for automotive engineering in the early nineties. I got a bachelor and then a masters degree. The last thing I did for education with cars was Auto restoration, which was just for fun really." She said as if that was nothing.

"Oh. Well, if that's all you have then I might just have to get my oil changed at Jiffy Lube." I teased rolling my eyes.

"That's all I know, about cars. I have a few other degrees. Nothing like Carlisle or Edward, though I'm not sure anyone can top Carlisle. He has been getting degrees since the foundation of most of the universities around."

"I had no idea they both had so much education, I guess I figured that Carlisle worked and Edward just redid high school." I said shocked that Edward and I had never talked about it.

"No, he usually tries to get in college degree every few years. He mostly studies the arts, literature, and history. It's a good thing he doesn't need a job." She teased giving me a wink.

I can't explain why it happened, but I felt weird when she winked at me. It's like something deep inside me got excited. I felt stupid about it. I tried not to show my confusion over what had just happened inside me.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

Dammit, I had to get better at hiding my emotions.

"Erm…yeah. Its nothing." I said

"Ok well we are here. Esme needs some more fabrics and sewing supplies." She said as she pointed to the door of the shop called "Sew Fabulous."

When we walked in the fragrance hit me in the way that fresh baked cookies do in a small house. I closed my eyes and let the smell infiltrate my lungs. It was the lady behind the counter. I didn't go crazy, but my vampire had an Itch that needed scratching.

"I smell it too, are you going to be ok?" Rosalie whispered too low for anyone to hear.

"I think so. I'm still in control." I said slowly. I opened my eyes and we moved forward.

"Well, hello there! Welcome to Sew Fabulous!" The woman behind the counter raised her arms dramatically to welcome us. I heard Rosalie give a low groan. I giggled at that a little.

After that Rosalie asked for the stuff we needed. The enthusiastic woman was more than happy to help. I could tell that Rosalie was taken back by the enthusiasm this woman had about sewing supplies. I'm not sure that Rosalie is used to such peppy people, Alice is one thing but this lady was a one-woman parade. After she got the things we needed she paid and we quickly left. Not before the woman wished us a sew-premely good day.

"You did good in there." She said after we had exited the store.

"Thanks, I told you I don't want to ever do that again." I paused while we walked. "How long did it take you to control it?"

"Well, I probably could have a lot quicker, but I didn't want to try. I used my bloodlust, as an excuse to eliminate some people I felt should no longer be among the living. So it took about two years."

"You were killing by choice?" I questioned. I couldn't see Rosalie doing that. She could be a bitch, but I didn't see her seeking out victims.

"It's a long story, but I wasn't killing the innocent. I'd rather not talk about it." She said. We walked quietly back to the car.

After we dropped off the supplies at the car I was sure we were going home. I started to get into the passenger's seat when she spoke up.

"Did you want to see the water?" She said in a way that made me think she wanted more time to walk.

"Sure, lead the way." I said, feeling good that she was up for spending more time with me. This was progress. We were coming a long way from her wanting to smash my face in.

"You know, I never really saw you and Edward fitting together." She said out of nowhere while we walked.

"I guess he didn't either." I said sadly.

"It's not because of you, and though I do get annoyed with him, I love him still. It's that you are kind of witty. I don't think I have ever heard Edward tell a joke or be humorous. He is the quiet tortured artist type, and you are not like that at all. I mean, what did you two talk about mostly?" She said charismatically.

I thought for a moment. I wasn't sure what we talked about. I guess we mostly talked about him, his past, his struggles, and his family. I didn't get to talk much, he didn't ask about my childhood or family that often. Not because he wasn't interested, but I just always let him take the lead in everything.

"I guess we mostly talked about him. The stuff he liked, music, books, his struggles, his past. Stuff like that." I said honestly. "What do you and Emmett talk about?" I was feeling a bit defensive.

"We don't really talk that much. We mostly have sex and talk when there are issues. We don't have deep talks or do many things together aside from …"

"Sex." I said finishing her sentence.

"Yeah. It's not bad though, I'm sort of used to the way things are with us. It's been over seventy years, how much do we really have to talk about?"

"I guess you are right." I said.

We reached the water and it was beautiful. I could see mountains filled with snow all around in the distance. The water was a deep sapphire blue. The sight made my day, no, it made my year. It had been a very relaxing day; I thought less about my past when I was there. Though Rosalie didn't know it, she made me believe my future wouldn't be so bad. She had a natural way of calming me down. Her presence had become something of an antidote to my numbness. I wasn't better, but I was starting to get there.

I looked over to see her leaning against the railing of the port. She watched the scenery like it was her first time seeing it. The wind blew a small strand of hair across her face. I had a strange urge to help her tuck it behind her delicate ear. Uh, well this was awkward. Did I just call Rosalie Hale's ear _delicate_? I fidgeted self-consciously, almost guilty for what I had just thought about my newfound friend. I was just hoping that she didn't notice my awkward movements from across the way. I decided to speak, trying not to think about that hair waving in the wind anymore.

"Thank you, Rose, for today. You have actually been really nice and I like this side of you." I said a bit bashfully. She turned to look at me as I spoke. That same strange sensation I had before rose in me again. Maybe it was because I wanted her to approve of me.

"It has been nice. You're welcome." She said it looked like she was going to continue before she stopped herself. She looked down at the water. We stayed there until the sun had set, after we made our way back to the car.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note:

**Trigger warning. I bumped up the rating for this chapter. Its Rosalie's story so it does include rape. Please review and let me know how you feel about the story. Thank you for your support. Enjoy!

Chapter 11- Small Talk

The trees flew past us as we drive smoothly back home. It was peaceful and comforting to be in the car. The music we played was acoustic, and I really liked it. I looked up at the tall trees and we moved further and further away from the best day I had had since my life came crashing to an end. That's pathetic isn't it? The best day I had had was running errands for my new step mom with a woman that, until yesterday, hated me.

I tapped my finger along to the beat on my knee mindlessly. I wan in my own world when Rosalie's voice pulled me out and back into reality.

"Hey Bella?" She sounded almost unsure of herself.

"Yeah?" I said turning to look at her. She kept her eyes focused on the road. I saw her readjust her hands on the wheel. She was working up the nerve to say something.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you. You are actually really nice." She said uncomfortably.

I didn't know why she looked like she was so awkward. I had never really seen her like this. It made her seem human. Rosalie Hale was confident in everything she did.

"Thanks. I'm sorry I attacked you in Port Angeles." I said trying to even the score.

"You are apologizing for being a hungry baby vampire." She laughed. "I probably deserved to be attacked a couple other times."

"Still. It wasn't ok, and I'm sorry." I said.

"Its so easy for you to apologize, I think you apologize too much. I don't share that quality. It's very hard for me to admit to being wrong. The Hales are a prideful people." She said.

"Tell me more about your family." I said genuinely interested.

She thought about what I requested. I think she was trying to remember her human life.

"My mother was a beautiful woman. I have a picture of her in my room. I went back to my home after I was changed and took it. She always wanted me to be this person that I wasn't. She had me put through finishing school, always dressed up just in case we ran into a man she wanted me to be with. She had a life planned for me, and I did everything she asked. I was always the person she wanted me to be. Still in the end, I could not make her proud. I didn't know another life was possible outside of the one she had molded for me."

"Did you have a relationship with them after?"

"No." she said point blank. I could tell there was more to that answer.

"Why? Didn't you want to?" I asked. She looked down when she thought about my question.

"Yes, I did very much. I adored my father, and I loved my mother, despite her being the person she was." She said sadly.

"I'm sorry Rose, didn't you try to be around them?" I asked as if it were the obvious answer. She laughed cynically.

"I suppose for you to understand what my life was like, and what my mother was like, you need to know about my death." She said cautiously as she repositioned her right hand to rest on the gearshift. She looked uncomfortable.

"You can tell me if you want to, but if its painful, you don't have to."

"You might as well know. I was so young, and so naïve. Eighteen years old with the rest of my life to write my story. All I wanted was family, maybe a few beautiful babies and a husband to kiss me when he came home. My mother had set her eyes on a man named Royce King to be my husband. He was Rochester's most eligible bachelor. We used to take chaperoned walks through the park. He seemed nice enough.

One night I was on my way home from a friend's when I came across him with some of his buddies. They had all ben drinking." She paused with her face in pain; she had briefly closed her eyes. When she opened them she continued.

"I can still smell the bourbon…"

* * *

The town was dark and the streets were wet in the sleepy city. Rosalie walked alone bundled in a coat with a red hat accenting her beautiful head. She crossed the street when she saw the man she had hoped would be hers. He was standing in a group with 4 other men all holding brown paper bags with bottles in them.

"Hey Royce." She spoke up to his back. He turned around with a small waver in his step. It was clear to her at that point that the bottle he held was not his first.

"Hey there Rose, what are you doing out here at this time of ni…" A hiccup finished his question. "Nice girls don't stay out this late."

"Hey Royce, this the girl you were talking about? Its hard to tell just how good looking she is with all those clothes on!" A drunken friend spoke up.

"Yeah, why don't you come here and show these nice men what's under all those." He grabbed Rosalie by the shoulder with a firm grip pulling her to him. He grasped both shoulders and spoke into her ear. "C'mon sweetie."

She struggled out of his grasp and broke free. She fixed her coat and regained her composure.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Sober." She said in a stuffy tone.

"Nah honey, you come here and show my boys what you got under all that." He grabbed her.

The next few minutes felt like an eternity to her. The men were too strong for her to fight off. One by one they took a turn with her, each rougher than the next. Royce was last. Adding to all of the bruises she had, he slapped her hard and called her a whore. She fell to the ground with blood trickling down her cheek. Before the men left, they all took turns kicking her on the ground. They called her all kinds of names that were demeaning. She didn't have the luxury of passing out; she heard ever word and felt every hit.

She was naked, alone and bleeding. She lied half conscious praying to die. A strange man approached, he gently picked her up in his arms and ran faster than any man she had ever seen. She finally felt the warmth of a blanket hug her. Then, before she knew where she was she felt a sharp pain in bend of her neck. She didn't have the energy to scream or to fight. Her fight was over.

She thought the pain she felt was going to last forever, and as far as she was concerned it had. It spread from her neck and took over every inch of her body. She thought that God was punishing her for her last moments on earth. This was her hell.

Finally it had ended; she awoke to see Carlisle and Esme standing over her. They were gracious and kind to her. She was post traumatic, scared and confused. She learned to trust them after some time. Most of her human life was a blur to her now, but not her last moments. Those memories haunted her.

* * *

"Eventually I sought vengeance on Royce and his friends. I took them out one by one. I saved Royce for last. I wanted him to know I was coming. He was held up with hired guards at a remote Hotel in Texas. As if two chubby guards could stop me." She smirked deviously. "I wore the dress I was going to wear to our wedding. You should have seen him huddled behind his bed like a baby holding tight to his pillow. He screamed like I had. I took my time with him. I bit him over and over and watched him squirm in pain. Finally I ended his miserable excuse of a life." She paused for a minute before adding "I was a little dramatic back then."

"Oh my God, Rose." I said shocked at all that she told me.

"Anyways, I came home about a year later. I had seen the missing person's article my father submitted to the papers." She continued.

* * *

Rosalie walked cup the sidewalk to her parent's Victorian style home. She stopped before turning the handle. The house was dimly lit and quiet. She heard a little bit of movement coming from the back kitchen. She swiftly moved to see her family that she missed with all of her being. She came around the corner to see her mother at the stove with a hot kettle of water. She watched her stand there for a minute with her back turned.

"Erm, hello mother." She said not being able to contain the smile on her face.

Her mother turned quickly to the sound of her daughter's voice.

"Rose? Is that really you?" She questioned. She took a better look at her daughter with excitement on her face, her eyes traveled up Rosalie's body and landed on her eyes. The change in her face was dramatic. Her face filled with fear and the kettle of water she was holding fell to the ground. She grasped her chest in fear.

"Mother, its me. I have come back, I am ok now." Rosalie said reassuringly. She was filled with so much hope that her words carried them.

"You are not my Rose! You are a demon sent by Satan himself!" She yelled, not being able to look away from her eyes. Rosalie had crimson red eyes that gave her change away. She stepped forward and reached out her hand towards her mother. She wanted her to not be afraid. She needed her mother to love her again.

"Its me, I am your Rose. Something happened to me, but I am still your daughter. Please mother." She said pleading.

"Get out of this house! Never come back. Your father would be ashamed at the sorcery you have committed. If I told him you were here it would break his heart!" She spoke passionately.

Rosalie let her head fall to face the ground. She let her shoulders slump slightly. Turning away to leave she heard her mother say one last thing to her.

"It would have been better for you to be dead! Never return here." She said coldly. She was gone.

* * *

"I only ever returned once more to see my father as he passed. My mother had died years before and my father wore his age on his face. He died in his own bed on a Sunday morning. I didn't let him see me, but I held his hand one last time just after the room was clear. That is when I got the picture. I have only one of us as a family. I am a child." She spoke softly in pain. I saw her left hand fidgeting with the threading on the steering wheel. She was trying to remain composed. She couldn't keep her sights focus on the road like she had before.

This was possibly the saddest story I had ever heard. I had been so off in my assessment of her. I had never considered her to have any depth to her. She wasn't perfect, though she always seemed to be. In this imperfection, in this pain, she was so much more than she had previously been.

I felt so much compassion for her. I wished I could embrace her and make all of her painful past disappear. In that moment I would have done anything to make it better. If I could have taken it away I would have. There was only one thing I could think to do.

I reached my hand out and softly put my hand on hers. I felt a slight hesitation under my hand from her. She relaxed after a moment. The rest of the drive was spent in a peaceful silence.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note:

I hope that last chapter left you feeling more connected with Rosalie. I have been and have the intention of going a little deeper into her past. None of it without foundation or straying from how I have interpreted her character to be. Please continue to review and let me know how you feel about the story, I am always thankful. I am pretty excited for the direction I have this story headed. I am far ahead of what I am publishing, I want to make sure I don't get a block and leave reader's upset without updates. Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 12- She Did What?

Esme met us at the car happy to see us and get her precious supplies. She had me help her that day reupholster the couch that went into the office. It was nice faux chocolate leather when we finished. I was learning a lot already in my new life. It was mostly about decorating oddly enough. The project again made me satisfied, she seemed proud of me. I was probably in better spirits than the day before.

Alice had me go for a walk with her after that. She said she just wanted to catch up with her best friend. It was nice, and we did actually walk. I found that most everywhere I went I was running lately. This was nice though, she updated me on her and jasper, the phone calls they had been having. She was designing a dress in the spare time she had while we were in Alaska.

She asked me about Edward and how I was taking the whole thing. It was pretty obvious that I wasn't taking it that well, but she wanted me to voice my thoughts.

"I don't know, Alice." I said protesting our conversation.

"Bella, its me. I know you have thoughts about it all. I know its painful, but just open up a little." She lectured.

"I miss him. I miss his smell, the way he feels when I put my head on his chest, his voice, and everything." I said frustrated.

"Are you mad at him?" She asked as if I should be.

"Why would I be mad at him? He is the greatest person I have ever known." I said.

"Bella, he left you. I just assume that makes you mad." She said concerned.

"He left me because I am a monster. He left because he couldn't stand that he did this to me." I said sadly.

Alice thought for a few moments. We walked side by side until we reached a small pond. We could see a caribou on the other side leaning for a drink of water. We were so quiet it didn't hear us.

"You are not a monster. You are a beautiful creature that just happens to crave blood." She continued at almost a whisper. "When you were human, did you not eat meat? The difference now is that you just want a different part of the animal. You weren't a monster before, and you aren't now. You don't have to be at least."

I had never thought of it that way. I think because I was the one taking the life it made a big difference. I suppose I was no different than before, I mean my hunger for animal flesh is why the animals had passed in the first place, even if I wasn't the one killing.

"I'm still not mad at him. I can't help what he believes, and I can't be upset at him for it." I said quietly.

We began to make our way back to the cabin. We were content to just enjoy nature together. It was nice to talk with Alice; I really did love her company. She has a way of making you feel special and loved.

"So how was Rosalie yesterday? She wasn't too bad I hope." Alice spoke out of the silence.

"She wasn't, I enjoyed it." I said still looking at our path.

"If she was mean or disrespectful…" Alice stated passionately.

"No! She really wasn't." I said defensively.

"I can't tell if you are trying to be nice about it or sincere." She cocked and eyebrow at me.

"If we are being honest, she was really nice. We actually talked and she offered to stay longer so we could see the water and the sunset." I said ignoring Alice's scrutinizing look. I only looked ahead of us, feeling awkward about talking about Rosalie.

"Really?" She said surprised.

"Yeah, She told me more about herself. I didn't know about her past or her transformation. It gives me a new outlook on her, you know?" I said finally turning to face Alice. She had a small smile. The smile quickly fell into a pout.

"It took her over a year of knowing her for her to tell me that! She is a piece of work, I'm going to tell her about it." She said upset.

"Alice! Don't, I don't want her to feel weird about tell me. It seemed like it was hard for her." I said trying to talk her down. Her face softened a little, but still held an underlining tone of disappointment.

"Fine, we wouldn't want her to feel "weird,' especially after she has been so sweet to you." She said sarcastically.

I laughed at that comment. Rosalie had been pretty rough to me before. Despite that she was really nice to be around yesterday. I almost felt like she was a different person.

"She did actually apologize to me." Alice looked at me in confusion. "For being such an ass." I said nodding my head to emphasize my point.

"I believed you, but you pushed it too far. I'll have a talk with her about being nice to you. You can just be honest with me Bella." She said as if everything I had just told her was a lie.

"I'm not lying!" I said smiling in disbelief.

She stopped walking and turned to me. She looked me in the eyes with a disapproving tone.

"So you are telling me, and expecting me to believe, that Rosalie Lillian Hale apologized to…you? Bella Swan?" She was waiting for my response looking into my eyes intimidatingly.

"Yeah, she did. I swear to god." I said uncomfortably.

"Ugh! What is happening?" She marched towards the house upset.

"What is it?" I caught up to her worried. She stopped again and turned to me dramatically.

"She has never apologized to me. Never. Not when she ruined my new Versace Silk handmade dress, not when she took apart the engine in my Miata because "She was bored," and never for being an ass!" She said almost comically upset.

I tried my best, but a smile breached my lips. She was hard to take serious, even if she was seriously mad. She was like a bratty toddler. She noticed my smile and it mad her even more upset until she herself realized how she sounded. She went from furious to a sort of silly laugh. She sort of fell into a sitting position on the lawn area of the cabin we had just made it to. We both had a good laugh at her display. I went over and sat beside her as we settle down. She sighed and put her head on my shoulder.

"I'm glad things are getting better." She said.

It wasn't until then that I realized that they were.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note:

I have been working the last couple days, very long days. Here is a needed update! Please keep up the reviews, and thank you for them! I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 13- Two Left Feet

The next day Esme and Alice went to Anchorage for some things. I think they had felt a little cooped up being at the cabin for so long. Alice had her eye on a few things she wanted to buy so it was a good excuse to get out. I felt content with being at the cabin so I elected to stay. They asked Rosalie if she wouldn't mind staying behind so that someone was there in case I needed them. I knew what that was code for, but I couldn't be upset about it. I was a newborn with a terrible track record.

I decided to catch up on a book Alice brought me in the living room. I sprawled out on the love seat with my back on one of the armrests. I put my feet up on the other. The house was so quiet. It was really nice, I was used to having alone time and I hadn't had much of it since my change. I had been reading for about an hour when Rosalie decided to join me in the living room.

She came in with a book of her own and sat down on the couch. She too put her back to the armrest, but sat with her knees bent, feet up on the couch. I was nearing the end of my book but had a hard time focusing. She was perfectly within my view straight across the room from me. I looked up from my book stealthily every few minutes to get a glimpse of what she was doing.

She was unchanging, flipping a page every minute or so. She twirled a strand of her light blonde hair in her right hand. Only letting go to flip the next page. I noticed that when she was into a particularly gripping part of the story she would lightly bite her lip. I felt intrusive watching her, I kept catching myself in the act. Mindlessly I kept returning for more.

She must have had a sense of it after a while; she lifted her eyes once to see me looking at her. I quickly returned my eyes to my book. I was so stupid. I wouldn't let my eyes leave my book until it was finished. I even stared at the last page for a few minutes wondering what to do next. I flipped the corner of the last page back and forth compulsively thinking of what to do or how to break the silence. An idea came to me.

"Hey Rosalie?" I said looking up from my finished book.

"Yes?" She said, not looking up from her novel.

"Do you think you could teach me how to dance?" I asked sheepishly.

She let the question sink in for a moment while continuing to look at her page. She then dog eared a page and closed the book, setting it in her lap. She had a curious expression on her face as she turned her head to look at me.

"What would you like to learn?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know the first thing about dancing. So anything, I guess." I said feeling dumb for asking.

She didn't respond, but she stood up and brushed her shirt down as if to straighten it. She walked over to me and stood above me. I felt nervous by her presence. She held out her hand and I took it. I stood up and we walked to the center of the room. She dropped my hand and pushed the coffee table out of the way.

"Let's start with Jive. Its one of my favorites." She said

"Ok, what is Jive?" I asked

"It's a type of swing, it was popular with African-American's in the early twentieth century." She said given me a mini history lesson.

"How do you know how to dance Jive?" I asked surprised.

"I like to dance." She said as if it were obvious.

"Ok… well, then teach me." I said teasing.

"Ok so I'll teach you to follow, you are good at that." She jabbed lightly. I rolled my eyes.

"So take your right foot and step back like so, then step onto your left. Take three close steps to your right and then repeat to your left." She demonstrated as she spoke.

I mimicked the movements, messing up the first try. By the third try I had it perfected.

"Ok, so I'll lead." She stepped closer to me standing in front of me. She held up her left hand slightly, signaling me to take it and put her right hand on my shoulder blade behind my back. I felt suddenly awkward; as if where she touched me my nerves were tingling. I lost track of my thoughts for a second.

"Put your left hand on my bicep." She instructed. I did so gently, barely resting the wait of my arm on her.

"Now what?" I asked awkwardly.

"Now you do what you were just doing. I will set the tempo." She said and with that she started.

I moved along with her trying to keep up. I stepped on her foot a couple times when I was required to move forward. She tried to hold in her laugh each time. I was only looking at our feet; I didn't notice the smile on her face as she did so.

"Stop looking at your feet. You should be looking up." She said instructing me.

I looked up, up past her head; I focused on the far wall behind her. My steps were synced to hers after a few minutes. I was surprised at how well I was picking this up. I counted my steps in my still.

"What are you looking at? You are supposed to be looking at your partner." She laughed.

If I could have blushed I would have. I remained quiet and looked at her. I was shy still, only allowing myself to look at her shoulder.

"Am I doing ok?" I asked.

"You are doing much better. I'm going to turn you, just go with the flow and keep doing the steps." She said. Before I had time to process her request she lead me into a turn and brought me back to the stance we were in before. I looked into her eyes as we met again and felt entranced. She had a different golden honey brown to her eyes than the others. I saw flecks of violet in them. I realized how odd I must have looked and turned my eyes away, back to her shoulder.

She noticed this odd sequence of events in my expressions and gave a small smile. She seemed almost cocky in her expression. Her mouth let out a small giggle and I felt the breath on my collarbone. My skin tensed into chills.

At that instant Esme and Alice walked through the door. I instinctively dropped my arms and stepped away a foot. I must have looked like a child that had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They didn't seem to notice my poorly executed change in stance but Rosalie did. I looked sheepishly back at her to see an expression of confusion and disappointment on her face. She didn't notice my eyes inspecting her, and I was glad she didn't. Why was I acting like this?

"Hello girls!" Esme said over joyed to see us as they entered.

"We got so many goodies!" Alice announced.

Rosalie seemed a little awkward herself. She didn't share the same excitement for the others to be home. She seemed to be deep in thought. I saw her rub the back of her neck with her right hand as she wore discontent on her face.

"What were you girls up to?" Esme asked. Just like that Rosalie changed to nonchalance and answered.

"I was teaching Bella to dance." She looked to me after.

"Oh! Good, now we can all party it up! I hope you taught her my favorites?"

"Hardly, we had just started when you came home." She said.

"Well, we will just have to see what you've got later, Bella." She teased.

"Sounds good." I said trying to be cheery.

"Teaching you how to dance?" Alice said walking back into the room from setting things down. "Boy, you two really _are_ getting along now, huh?"

"Yeah, Alice. Its no big deal, I asked." I said trying to not make a big deal of my newfound friendship. Alice noticed my subtle hint for her to cut out the passive aggressive attitude.

"Well, good. I hate having to be peacemaker." She said flippantly. She lightly pushed me to sit down on the couch, taking the liberty to plant herself with me on her back with her head in my lap.

Honestly, Alice could do things like this without me acting like an idiot. Why was it that when Rose touched me I felt awkward but Alice could do anything with me and I didn't seem to react? I didn't have the energy to investigate those thoughts at that moment.

Rosalie sat down on the other side of the room across from us. She watched as Alice talked about their day from her lazy position with me on the couch. Esme came back into the room after she taken her things up to her room. She sat on the arm of the couch Rosalie had planted herself on.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. I spoke with the Denali family; we are going to visit them tomorrow! How exciting?" She said happy to get the news out.

"Aw, yay. I missed them." Alice seemed happy about the news.

"Who are they again?" I asked dumbly.

"They are our distant cousins that share a similar view on eating habits." Esme said.

"They are vegetarians too." Rosalie spoke up blankly.

"Oh ok, cool, I guess." I said.

Before I knew it morning had come and it was time for us to get ready to go. I had spent the night relaxing with everyone and then taking a much-needed shower. When I got out of the shower I took a good look in the mirror. My complexion was much better than when I had been human. To be honest I was not that much more pale. I couldn't help but still criticize myself. I felt like something was lacking in my reflection.

"Hey Alice?" I called from the bathroom door.

"Yes?" she was already nearing the bathroom.

"Could you do my make up?" I asked, and before my words had left my mouth her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Yes! Of course!" She rushed into the bathroom and pulled out a case of items I didn't know the first thing about.

"Just go easy, like I don't want to look like I'm going to an opera." I joked nervously.

"Everyday make up, got it, trust me." She said shrugging her shoulders.

She made fast work of her little canvas. Within minutes she had sufficiently poked, prodded and painted me to perfection. She explained that she plucked a few eye brow hairs, gave me a little natural looking blush, eye liner, subtle eye shadow and mascara. She also "Contoured" my face.

She turned me around to take a look in the mirror and I felt like a different person. I was like the best possibly version of myself. She was a miracle worker for sure.

"I look kind of hot." I said pleasantly surprised as I inspected my new face.

"You always do, you just have a little something extra going for you today." She said with a wink.

She exchanged the outfit I had laid out for myself for jeans, a tank top and a leather jacket. I wasn't sure what the difference would really be but I put on what she brought me. I still chose to wear my old converse though.

Alice and I met the others at Esme's car. Rosalie and her were already seated in the front seat ready to go. I sat behind Esme on the driver's side and Alice behind Rosalie. I was told the drive would only take about 30 minutes, Esme said the family lived close by. Alice made it a point to talk about how she did my makeup. I just kept quiet, feeling a little embarrassed.

Rosalie put down the sun visor mirror to check her make up; I could see her eyes from my seat. I saw her look to me in the mirror after a minute. Our eyes met, I looked away out the window. When I looked back she was still looking. I think she had been noticing Alice's work.

We arrived shortly after then to the Denali home. They too had a large cabin that was more of a mansion. Their home was beautiful actually, it was probably twice as big as the house we had in Denali. The Denali family heard us arrive and shuffled out of the house excitedly. I was in awe of how beautiful they all were.

In their own way, they all looked like Barbie dolls with golden blonde hair and perfect hourglass figures. They all shared the same honey brown likeness to their eyes. The most mature looking approached first. She appeared to be the head of the family.

"Oh hello my darling!" She spoke to Esme giving her a European greeting of a kiss to each cheek. She did the same with the rest of my family until she got to me. "Ah! You must be the beautiful Bella Swan! I have heard so much about you dear, I am Tanya." She said welcoming. She then greeted me in the same way.

"These are my sisters, Irina…" The tallest girl came forward and gave me a delicate handshake.

"…And Kate" The other sister with the striking jawline came forward. She took my hand and if to 0delicately shake it but instead brought it to her and gently kissed it. I looked to Alice subtly; she was rolling her eyes at Kate's gesture. I was not used to these sorts of greetings. I tried my best to act natural but inside I was anxious.

"Its nice to meet you all. You are all so beautiful." I said choking a little on my last word.

"There are more of us, unfortunately they are away on business matters for the night."

"Well that's alright, as long as we get to spend time with you three, I am happy. Send my love to the other though, wont you?" Esme spoke properly.

"Of course. Come inside now!" Tanya spoke gesturing for us to follow her.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note:

Ok! So I need to explain a change I have made to the twilight universe rules. In my version they can consume alcohol. Kind of similar to the vampires of Vampire Diaries. They can drink and be effected by it. Now that this is clarified, I want to thank you again for your support. I hope you enjoy this chapter and picture it the way I saw it. I am a big fan of tension and jealousy in these stories. So with that said, enjoy.

Chapter 14- Girl's Night Out

I was lead into the house paired with Tanya; she was truly a natural host. Their home was spotless and elegant. Everything was in its place. I am pretty sure Esme aspired to be like them in their taste. The entry was grand with tall ceilings and a wide staircase hugging the wall up to a large railed hallway. This home made our cabin look almost rustic.

We made our way into their "Parlor" for conversation. I came to learn that a parlor is a small living room with the purpose of visiting and entertaining guests. Their parlor was the size of the Cullen's living room. I suppose they had centuries on the Cullen's to acquire wealth to have such things.

I sat down on the love seat to the far left. This was a classically size two-seater with only room for a partner and myself. Rosalie took it upon herself to sit beside me, Kate followed closely behind Rosalie but wasn't rude; therefore she did not compete for that spot. Instead she decided to sit on my other side on the arm of the chair. I felt so of out of place stuck between these two-drop dead gorgeous women. I mean, there was enough room for Kate on the large couch that only held Esme, Alice and Irina. Not to mention two armed chairs where Tanya had made herself comfortable.

After a few moments of catching up and small talk Tanya asked Kate to grab refreshments. I was a bit surprised at what she meant. In my head I saw her coming back with a cage of small animals. Though, I didn't think they would stand for such a mess that would make in their well kept home. Instead she returned with a tray full of empty glasses, ice cubes and a pitcher. The strange thing about the ice cubes and the pitcher was that they were filled with red. They had made blood iced cubes and served blood like a cocktail at a party.

Kate handed me a glass first with cubes and poured the blood for me. She was serving me and I wasn't used to it. I assumed they were all just perfect hosts. When I took a drink of the refreshment I noticed that it tasted slightly different from the fresh meals I had while hunting.

"This is interesting, what is it?" I asked honestly.

"It is imported Jaguar blood from the jungles of India, aged in a cooler." Tanya spoke up. "What vintage is that sister?"

"2001, I pulled out the best for our guests." Kate spoke while pouring Rosalie a glass. She looked at me while she was serving her and speaking. I could have sworn that she winked. Was this a custom here? I felt awkward and repositioned myself in my seat. Rosalie was staring with a death glare into Kate's face. I don't think Kate noticed.

The group kept up a casual conversation for a few hours. It was nice to listen to. I only ever talked when they were talking about me or a story I had been there for. I was told about the Denali's past and how they had become friends with the Cullen's. I was surprised to learn that the Denali's had a vampire mother before. I also learned more about the Volturi and the laws of the group that had become royalty over the centuries. I got the impression that neither family especially liked the governing body.

I noticed that Tanya and Kate took a lot of joy in teaching me the history of their family and of vampirism. Irina also spoke, but she was more reserved. I had never asked about those things. I was still trying to get a grip on my personal history with vampirism. The conversation died down a little when Alice announced some more news from our group.

"Kate, Tanya, You'll be happy to know that Rosalie here was teaching Bella to dance." She said proudly.

"Oh well we should go dancing then!" Tanya suggested joyfully.

"Erm, I'm not very good. I only know a few steps." I argued.

"Nonsense, I doubt any of us are really any 'good' at it either." She said trying to be humble.

"I don't know about you three, but they were like professionals." I said pointing to my family.

"They were probably just showing off." Kate said teasing.

"That sounds a little more like someone I know." Rosalie mocked to Kate. I felt a slight tinge of tension in the middle of the two women.

"Well, that settles it. We are going dancing tonight! I know a place that does salsa on Wednesday nights. How perfect?" Tanya said cheerfully.

"Great." I said nervously. I was no Alice but I could see my future with Salsa, and it looked bleak. I could see myself tripping and stepping on feet. It was a good thing that we had tough skin; otherwise they would all be bruised by the end of the night.

"It's the only salsa within three hundred miles. We miss that from our south American days." Irina smiled looking to her sisters.

"Well, it's a date then. Thank you again for the refreshments." Esme spoke.

"Of course. We will send you the address, but it's just in Anchorage, so not too far." Tanya answered back.

"Well, we should probably go home and get ready. I'm sure you will love helping us find what to wear Alice." Esme said looking to Alice. I noticed her tone was extra cordial when we were with them. I think she felt like she had to be more proper in their presence.

After a brief goodbye with hugs and kisses to cheeks we were on our way. This time Rosalie sat in the back with me, and Alice chose being upfront.

"I'm excited I get to pick out clothes for you all. I didn't prepare for this for you Bella, but don't worry. I think I have a dress of mine that will do fine with your shape." She said seriously.

"So what was up with you and Kate?" I asked to Rosalie without a filter holding in my thoughts.

"What do you mean?" She turned from watching out the window.

"You two seemed, tense with each other."

"I don't know. She is just so out there. Like a little too "look at me," you know?" she said mocking her.

"Stop being mean." Esme scolded.

"Its true. She asked. I was just being honest." She finished her sentence quietly, resuming her position glaring out the window.

Once we were home we all took to getting ready, we really only had time to do so and get on our way to meet our friends. Alice touched up my make up and gave me a more dramatic dark eyeliner and eye shadow. She did my hair in a messy scrunched look and laid out what dress she thought would "do me justice." I put on the dress and was immediately self-conscious. What I had in the chest department was not much, but the bra and dress she gave me pushed everything I had up and out. I suddenly looked like I had boobs.

The dress she given me was a dark satin black with a lot of intricate lace along the halter top, forming a V neckline. The straps wrapped and met behind my neck and my shoulders were bare. It hugged my body closely, showing curves that were previously hidden as it reached my hips and then flowed out down to just above my knee. Alice complimented me calling me "Sex on a stick." I guess that's what a girl want to hear when dressing to go out.

Alice wore a dress more closely related to her Era. She wore a looser fitting flapper dress with lots of tassels ready to flare out with each spin. She was able to pull off just about anything. I think I would have looked like a paper bag in that thing.

We went down to meet Esme, and she looked gorgeous. She decided to wear a deep blue ankle length dress with a split reaching mid thigh. Her hair was perfectly done in a low ponytail with loose curls to one side of her heart shaped face. I was admiring and complementing Esme when I heard heels coming down the stairs.

I turned to look behind me and saw stunning redefined into none other than Rosalie Hale. She made me look like an awkward shapeless preteen going to a high school dance in a hand me down dress. Her Crimson red stiletto heels were met by a pair of perfect shapely legs reaching up to her mid thigh; where the matching dress began. The strapless dress was tight above the waist, hugging her body like a glove. I couldn't help but notice how her dress also did her bust justice, showing off the more present cleavage she had to offer. She also wore her hair in loose curls, but she let the hair flow freely to one side.

Her eyes landed on me as she reached the last two steps. I saw her eyes travel down my body, inspecting my outfit. She had probably never seen me wear anything like it. I had never seen me where anything like it. I was immediately ten times more self-conscious.

"You clean up well Bella Swan." She said in a way that made me nervous.

"I…you…look good, too." I said stuttering a little. I saw a smug smile appear on her perfect lips. Why was I so obsessed with that look she just gave me? Furthermore, why was Rosalie Hale making me nervous? She wasn't even threatening me anymore.

We made our way to the car and set out on our way. So much excitement was in the air that the drive seemed like no time at all. We were at the place, though it looked like a warehouse on the outskirts of the downtown. I wasn't sure if this was the right place.

Once we made it inside I could see that it was clearly a club. There was a live band playing Latino style music and the air was hot. There was way more people packed into the place than I expected, most of them dancing and sweaty. It looked like most of these people had grown up dancing; I was so intimidated. I was fine to sit out the night for sure.

We found our group at the bar watching the crowd dance. They all looked stunning as well. When we approached I noticed that they were nursing cocktails.

"Can we drink?" I asked Alice in her ear.

"Of course. I guess it's never come up, but yes, Alcohol is something we can still have and enjoy." She said back laughing.

"I had this made for you the week you were turned honey." Esme said handing me an ID. It was my face on an ID that was of legal drinking age.

We all ordered a round of shots. I would need this if I was expected to try to dance tonight. The tequila was disgusting, but I took it gladly hoping that it give me courage. I asked for another round to the bartender. I looked back to see the group staring at me surprised.

"What? I'm nervous about dancing!" I said defensively shrugging my shoulders.

The group laughed and we took the second round. I was fine to relax and survey the place, but the others were ready to dance. I decided to hang back with Kate and drink a cocktail. I needed every second I could get to let the drinks kick in.

I watched the others pair up with each other and have fun. They all took turns dancing with each other. They were all really good at it. I wondered if I would ever be that good. I guessed it would take every bit of seventy years to practice.

"So have you ever been to a Salsa club?" Kate took me out of my thoughts.

"No, first time. I've never been to any club before." I said loudly to be heard over the crowd.

"I can teach you." She said in my ear. She held out her hand.

"I guess I have to at some point." I said taking her hand and putting my drink down on the bar.

The music was fast. She chose to lead and showed me the steps. It was basically a lot of back and forth with some flare. She told me to move my hips to the music and showed me by grasping my hips. She moved my hips to the rhythm of the music.

After a minute I got the rhythm with my hips, she then had us pair the steps with my hips. She held me around my back with her right arm and my hand with her left. We moved back and forth both moving our bodies to the music. She seemed so natural with her body. She was fluid, I wondered if she even had bones in her toned body.

She decided to mix up our movements by dipping me and twirling me. I started feeling more confident by the third song. We were all over the floor, moving in sync, tension pooling between us. She gradually held me tighter as we danced on.

To my amazement, during the third song of us dancing, Rosalie cut in. She didn't ask Kate to cut in; she merely caught me on a turn. I felt instant electricity when we met close. She wrapped her hand behind my back, assuming the same position that Kate had held. Her breath was hard on my collar as we danced. Her face wore determination and...Possession? She gave me a twirl and pulled me back in. We were pulling like magnets back and forth to the rhythm.

When I said that Kate was like fluid, she had nothing on Rose. She was giving generously side to side with her rounded hips. She pulled me in and pushed me out several times. The song was fast but she kept up with no problem. She almost and me dizzy with the spins she was having me do. She was on a mission to challenge my ability to dance in heels, let alone dance.

The music slowed with the next song. It was oddly sensual. Her legs lead the way for me; She guided me to properly stand almost straddling her thigh. We moved in that stance back and forth. This song had us standing too close for air to fit between us. I felt electricity forming deep within me. It was strange feeling that I had never felt. I wanted more of it, and I wanted it with her. She moved me with ease around the dance floor. I was the puppet and she was the master.

The song was coming to a close and she could sense it. She dipped me low, pulling our hips together. She brought me back up to stand as the last beat hit. She had me firm in her grasp, and she held it. We were locked merely an inch from touching; looking into each other's eyes. I had never felt anything like I did when that moment happened. I felt like anything was possible. The world around us was gone. It was only her eyes, her breath, her spell she had put on me. Sadly that moment ended with Alice interrupting us.

"Ahm. May I dance with you, Bella?" She said.

We both let the space divide us quickly. Both of us awkwardly covering up what had just transpired. What did just happen? I watched Rosalie head back to the bar to sit near Kate.

* * *

Rosalie took a spot leaning on the bar next to Kate. Kate was not as welcoming as she had been earlier. She had a cocky air about her.

"So how long have you been trying to get at her?' She asked as if it were obvious.

"Excuse me?" Rosalie responded intimidatingly.

"Bella, How long?" She responded.

"I'm not trying to "get at" anything. I'm happily married, or maybe you didn't remember."

"I am just asking because of what I see. She is clearly open to it all." Kate said shrugging.

"What are you talking about?" She responded genuinely confused.

"I consider myself to have a good gaydar. It comes with the territory. That girl is gay for sure, or at least bisexual. I am willing to bet unknowing lesbian though." Kate said confidently.

Rosalie didn't respond; she tried to push the conversation out of her mind. The problem was that she couldn't help but watch Bella. She watched as she danced with Alice, she looked so beautiful. She had urges when it came to her. She was realizes more and more how much she didn't like Kate, especially when Bella was around.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's note:

Thanks for the reviews, I hope you liked that last one. I have decided my direction for the story. Earlier I had said it was between two options. Bella will have a different power, but that is for a later date. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 15- When Jealousy Rears Its Evil Head

We danced until the club shut down, but I didn't dance with Rosalie anymore. I was both disappointed and relieved. It was too confusing to focus on and I just wanted to enjoy myself. I mostly dance with Alice and the Denali girls. Kate danced with me some more but Rosalie mostly sat out and drank. I kept taking breaks to take more shots and before I knew it I was seeing the world differently.

I slurred and stumbled by the end of the night. I was just about to take another shot with the girls when Rosalie came to take the drink from me.

"Bella, I think you should let me take this one." She said taking my attention from the others. She reached for my drink and I pulled it away.

"Why?" I said stubbornly.

"You have probably had enough, don't you think?" She suggested.

"Let her drink, she's having fun." Kate said budding in.

"Dance with me Rose! I liked that before, dancing with you." I attempted to persuade her, tugging on her dress.

"Maybe we should go for some fresh air, I think you have had one too many." She insisted.

"I'm taking good care of her, you can go back to moping hun." Kate said demandingly.

"I-I am having fun. You never have fun." I said slurring my words.

"Fine." She said angry, she turned and walked away with attitude.

Kate and I danced again together. She was pushing my hips to hers and moving me with her. I was just going with her flow. She whispered in my ear after the song and I followed her.

* * *

Rosalie POV

I walked back to the bar fuming. I immediately ordered another shot and pounded it down. The sting was a welcomed distraction. I also got a scotch on the rocks. The music was so loud, I usually loved this music and this atmosphere. I spent a lot of time in South America and Cuba because of this fact.

I had been watching the crowd all night, but my attention kept returning to Bella. She was so carefree, it was good for her, but she had me worried. She didn't seem to notice that Kate had been flaunting herself to her all night. Every time Kate winked and danced with her I felt small growls build up in my chest.

I was just being protective over Bella. Bella had her heart broken recently, changed into this creature and was forced to leave everything she knew. She didn't need Kate trying to confuse her and prey on her. Kate was a nice enough person, I guess, but I had never really liked her. She rubbed me the wrong way.

Then she had to go point out something that wasn't there. Bella and I were just friends, and barely even at that. I was trying to help and protect Bella, not make a move on her. I mean, I had Emmett and I were married. I was happy with Emmett, and he was a good guy. Alice had snuck up on me while I was deep in my thoughts.

"Hey pretty lady, what are you up to all gloomy looking?" Alice was too cheery.

"Nothing, just enjoying a drink." I said plainly. I just wanted to be left alone to sulk.

Alice flipped her back to the bar to watch the crowd.

"Its nice to see everyone having fun. I love this." She said. I sighed a little knowing that she wouldn't just let me be. I flipped around to join her.

"Yeah, I guess it's nice." I agreed to be cordial. I searched the crowd, scanning through all of the sweaty bodies looking to check on Bella. I couldn't find her. Worry came over my face; I stepped forward to gain a new perspective on the crowd. Where had she gone?

"What are you doing?" Alice asked as if to point out my actions as odd.

"Have you seen Bella?" I asked concerned.

"Yeah, she and Kate went out the back to get air about five minutes ago…why?"

Before she could finish her question I had thrown back the rest of my drink and left the bar. How could she be so stupid? I hated that I had to take care of such a careless baby vampire. I hated that she made me worry and that she made me care enough to worry.

I reached the back door and took a small breath in before pushing it open a little too forcefully. The door made a crack and I was out of the club. I looked side-to-side surveying the alley with my fists balled. I was ready to face an army I was so furious. I found Bella about a half of a block down the way with Kate holding her tight to the brick wall of an empty building. Kate was leaning close almost touching Bella's lips.

Before I had time to think my actions through I was charging the block towards Kate. Just before she had the chance to press her lips to Bella's I made it to her. I pushed her off of Bella with enough force to slam her into a dumpster over ten feet away. In no time she had gotten up and she was coming back for me. I dug my feet in to withstand her blow. When she hit me I was ready. I didn't waver in my footing.

"She is drunk and you are taking advantage of her!" I said pointing my finger into Kate's face. Kate grabbed my hand and gave me a blast of electricity sending me to my knees. I felt the jolt stinging every inch of my body. I felt more pain in that moment than I had experienced since my transformation. I let it sink in for a brief second but I wasn't going to give up. I think it just made me even more furious. I struggled to get up under the force of her gift.

"No! Stop!" Bella pushed between us. Bella had her back to me; I think she was being slightly defensive of me.

Kate paused and assessed the situation. She held her ground for a moment but backed away after making a judgment. Bella helped me up and the two quickly shuffled off back towards the club. Not before a stumble or two on her part.

* * *

Bella's POV

It was then that my stomach betrayed me. I threw up a little, thank god just in my mouth, but I knew more was coming. I gestured that I needed to move and Rose helped me find the bathroom.

Quite possibly one of the least attractive things you can do is throw up. I think I told Rosalie to leave in between heaves, but she didn't. By the time it was done all I wanted to do was sit on the bathroom floor with my back to the stall. She wouldn't let me, and I'm pretty thankful to this day for that.

She ushered me outside the front to get some fresh air. I was having a hard time acting less drunk than I was, but she did seem to mind. We took a seat outside the club on a brick wall used to make a risen garden next door. I put my head on her shoulder to rest. We never need sleep, but sometimes it's still nice to close your eyes. It helped the world stop spinning for me.

"Rose." I said still very inebriated.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Why didn't you ask me to dance again? Eh..everyone danced, but you sat out. You are such a …a…square." I said with my eyes still resting.

"It's complicated." She answered quietly.

"D-do you hate me again?" I asked trying my best to speak well.

"No, Bella, I don't hate you. Just rest a little bit." She said.

"You know, you didn't have to take me away from Kate. Also, you look really hot tonight." I said. She didn't respond.

The group eventually came out and we went on our way home. We said our good-byes but Rosalie and Kate just ignored each other. Kate made a point to kiss my hand one more time and wink at me. The rest of the night was spent with us dancing in the living room and eventually lounging around barely talking. I think everyone had too much fun that night. We all needed time to recover. The whole rest of the night Rosalie sat out, she only watched and smiled every once in a while. I wished she let herself join in.

* * *

The swan house is pitch black. Only the soft sounds of a sleeping Chief swan can be heard throughout the house. The door opens with a small creek, barely audible. A ginger-footed petite finger enters the house and takes in her surroundings. Bright red wild hair sits atop her small frame. She sniffs the air and searches the house for the young Bella swan. She moves up the stairs dissatisfied with the scent of Bella being almost to faint to detect.

She finds her bedroom and gives it a good search. It smells stronger of the boy that clung to her in the field when they played baseball. She grimaces in anger as she realizes that Bella hasn't been there in months. Looking for clues to where she had gone she comes up short. The smell of Edward still lingers on her bed. She hates that smell just as much as she hates him.

She moves on to try to gather clues in her bathroom; all of her things are still there. Finally, she decides to take a peak in the room with the man snoring. She opens the door slowly and creeps in. she stands observing the sleeping man with a furrowed brow. She wonders if it is worth it just to kill him. Maybe she would get the news and come back. Maybe it would cause her to never come back. She can't take the chance. She goes in for just one deep breath of his scent. He smells delicious.

She can see the blood pumping in his neck, stretching the skin over the artery with every beat of his heart. She shows her fangs; the temptation is almost too much to bare. She leans in so close to his neck that she can almost taste his blood. She opens her mouth; maybe just one taste couldn't hurt?


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note:

So from here on out I will play more with the Rosalie/Bella POV. if you wee a chapter with no reference to which point of view, its by default Bella's. Just like it has been before. I hope you have been enjoying this story. I have begun to make the characters feel something, though they may not know what it is. Until next time, enjoy.

Chapter 16- Back to Life, Back to Reality

Emmett burst into the door of chief Swan's house. Jasper had gone in through the window of Bella's room. Victoria had heard the commotion just before she took her first bite of Charlie. She stopped just above her pulse and tilted her head to listen. Within a half of a second she was making her exit out his bedroom window. The boys made it to his bedroom door and saw nothing but a sleeping Charlie. The window was left open, Jasper quietly ran to the window to look out. He saw a red blur make its way into the woods in the distance.

They inspected the house for other smells; no other vampire had been there since Edward had last. They were satisfied to leave the house and report their findings. Once they had gotten back to the Cullen house they told Carlisle and the three of them discussed their options. They group had only come up with one option, they had to bring the girls home early.

**nnnn

Alice's phone rang while they were lounging, recovering from their exciting night.

"Hey Jazz!" She said excitedly. She was happy but soon her eyes moved to look into mine. She face changed to almost horror. My mind immediately swirled with possibilities. I didn't have to wonder long, within a few seconds she was off the phone.

"Bella, the boys found something at your father's house." She said concerned. "Everything is ok, but we need to head home." She said looking to Esme.

"What happened? Is Charlie ok?" I asked upset.

"He is ok, the boys got there in time. It looks like a vampire was in his room. They recognized the scent to be of James's mate Victoria." We need to get home in case she comes back.

We packed within minutes and were on our way. I rode in the car with Esme and Alice decided to ride with Rosalie. I was too worried to think of anything else aside from the possibilities of what this could mean. Was it random or purposeful? It had to be on purpose. Was she looking for me? Was Edward ok? I had been out here so far away from my father and he needed me. What would have happened if they didn't get there? I couldn't stop myself from thinking of every 'what if' that entered my mind.

"Everything is going to be ok Dear." Esme spoke trying to calm my nerves. I had been fidgeting a hole in the hem of my shirt.

"What does it mean? Why would she be around Charlie?" I asked.

"It could have been her smelling something familiar and she might have been hungry. It could be simple. You have to remember that he is ok." She said calmly.

"How though? What if she comes back and I'm not there, what if she…" I couldn't finish my question.

Esme put her hand on mine as she drove. She turned to look me in the eyes while she spoke.

"Emmett and Jasper are guarding day and night the house. He is going to be ok."

"I just don't know what I would do if I lost him." I spoke looking down. That thought haunted me.

"You wont, love." She said with hope in her words.

The drive was long, I thought about Charlie mostly. After a while my thoughts calmed down a little. I did trust the boys with my life; I knew they would be there for my father. We would be home soon and I could make sure I was there too. I also thought of what happened the night before. I thought about Kate and Rosalie. It seemed like everything that happened was a dream.

Did I really almost drunkenly kiss Kate? Did Rosalie dancing with me really sort of turn me on? I blamed my vampire for my thoughts and decisions last night. Vampire me was an exciting and surprisingly sexual creature. I was kind of embarrassed about the Rosalie part. I hardly ever had to see Kate, and she was the one trying to kiss me.

Rosalie was a whole other ball game. She was probably just trying to dance and I got all those weird feelings. She was my friend and I was messing with it. I hoped she didn't notice how I felt last night. I hope I didn't say anything stupid; I was super drunk.

Rosalie's POV

Alice got in the car with me. I was a little surprised and disappointed. I was hoping it would be my newfound friend that would get in the passenger's seat. I didn't say anything to my bubbly sister, I just started the car and we went about our way. It didn't take long before the sweet solitude of silence was broken. It never took long with my adopted sister.

"So I'm going to play my music, is that ok?" She more so told me than asked.

"Erm, sure." I said trying to show her with my attitude that I was in no mood to talk.

Alice gave me a while before she tried to talk to me again. We listened to her bubbly pop and cliché newly popular alternative music. She sang along with every song and put her hand out the window to feel the air. She was the only one I knew that would think to do this in the chilly Alaskan air. She acted like we were on a beach drive in southern California with her tank and sunglasses.

"So are we going to talk about last night?" She finally asked with her best mom tone.

"Oh Gosh, did I stay out too late on a school night?" I said covering my mouth like I made an oops. I could be such an asshole. She didn't even acknowledge it, she just continued.

"I had a vision, you know." She said looking at her nails.

"Was it of me pushing you off a cliff for torturing me with your mom tendencies?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, it was of Bella." She said cavalier.

"What of Bella?" I asked more concerned.

"See!" She said pointing to my face. "I see you Rosalie Lillian Hale. You need to watch yourself. Don't mess with things."

"What are you talking about?" I was genuinely confused and more than frustrated at this conversation.

"I saw you last night dancing with Bella, I had a vision when you were dancing." She said as if she was explaining something I already knew.

"What was the vision?" I asked.

"Of you and Bella, but I would assume you already knew where I was going with this. Last night you seemed more than willing to make that vision a reality." She said still inspecting her nails.

"I don't know what you are talking about. We are friends Alice. Unless you saw us doing friend things, then I am not sure what you mean." I tried to be convincing. I was trying to convince myself.

"If you two were friends, then Jasper and I are friend goals." She said sarcastically.

"I hate it when you try to use slang." I said grumbling.

"Listen, you need to watch yourself. Obviously you are confused, and I don't want you messing with the family, my friend or your husband for that matter. Figure your shit out Rose." She said flicking her wrist to wave at me when she accented her point.

"Honestly, I don't know what you are talking about. I'm happy with Emmett. Bella and I are just friends. We are both straight anyways." I said defensively.

"Whatever just figure it out." She said dismissively.

I had nothing to figure out, and I thought Alice should mind her own business. I guess this is what I get for trying to reach out and befriend people. Does Alice think I can't try to be friends without wanting to be in their pants? I guess it didn't matter what she thought. I knew that I was happy being with Emmett and that Bella probably doesn't think anything of our friendship like that. It was probably just catching people off guard that I was nice to the girl.

I knew I wanted to talk to Bella to get a gauge on this whole thing. I wanted to see if she would act different towards me. I think I was being defensive and sensitive. It wasn't often that I made new friends, and I was pretty insecure about it.

Luckily we had to stop for gas. I was more than happy to get out of the car and stretch my legs. I was also pretty excited to see Bella; I wanted to see if she would ride with me. I was pretty tired of Alice after the first six hours of driving.

As we got out of the car and pumped gas I kept telling myself to play it cool. I went about my business pumping gas as casually as I could. I had put on aviator sunglasses so that I would seem casual. I kept looking to see if Bella was looking at me. You know, just to see if she was feeling friendly, maybe if she would look at me she would want to come talk. She wasn't looking at me; she was just talking to Alice about nothing. I made a sound like a sigh to see if she would turn. She didn't, God dammit.

"Oh hey Bella." I said casually. 'Don't be weird' I thought to myself.

"Hey Rose!" She said walking over to talk to me. She was being kind of fidgety.

"So Emmett's birthday is coming up and I can't think of a good idea, do you want to ride with me and help me think of one?" I asked thinking this would be a good excuse to get her in the car with me.

"Well, I mean I think Alice knows him more and could probably see in the future on which one he would like. You know?" She said clueless to my intentions.

"Good thinking." I said looking down. This is going very smooth.

"Well, it would be nice for you to ride with me in case you are hungry, we could stop. I know the other's kind of said they want me around when you hunt." I said thinking this would be a sound excuse.

"I'm not really hungry, but if you want me to ride with you I can." She said sheepishly.

"I mean its up to you." I said awkwardly. I hate how awkward I am with her. I am never like this. I hate that Alice and Kate are making me overthink this whole friendship.

Alice walked back over as if to get in the passenger's seat of my car. I gave her a glare, but she didn't notice. I don't know why, but I was suddenly afraid that if she sat down that Bella would retreat to Esme's car and forget about riding with me. I spoke up a little too concerned.

"Alice, Bella is actually going to ride with me."

"Oh, ok then. I guess you weren't enjoying our intellectually stimulating conversation." She said teasing.

She grabbed her things from the car and moved to Esme's SUV. Bella went to sit in my car and I suddenly got nervous. I went to get back in the car. We were on the road in no time, but Bella and I hadn't spoken yet. She seemed content; I was trying to think of a conversation to bring up.

"Last night was fun." She said breaking the silence.

"Yeah, you drank a lot. Everyone drank a lot though." I said agreeably.

"I don't remember everything I said or did, so I want to apologize for…just anything if I was weird." She said shyly.

Did she really not remember calling me hot or defending me to Kate? It sounds like she might but is trying to forget herself. That might be a good sign, maybe she feels odd about it too.

"That's ok, you didn't really do anything embarrassing, well, aside from puking." I said teasing.

"Oh, crap. I did puke didn't I? So did Kate come onto me?" She asked.

"Yeah, I was worried that you were not into it, so I tried to help you out, in case you were too drunk to tell her no." I said trying to make light of me throwing our friend into a dumpster and getting thousands of watts of electricity shot into my body for her.

"I don't really know what happened. I guess I was feeling… outgoing." She said taking a pause to think of a right word to describe her almost wrestling tongues with a girl.

"It happens." I said. Was that all I could think to say? I had to say something to make her think that it doesn't happen with me.

"So, I am pretty excited to see Emmett." I said stupidly.

"Oh, I bet. He probably misses you." She said. She looked out the window after.

I was going to have to do a better job of playing it cool. I don't know why I have a problem with it with her. I've always been the one to make others nervous. Of all the people in the world that could make me nervous and stupid, Bella Swan, the girl who trips on her own shadow was the one.

"So are you going to miss Alaska at all?" She said as if to make small talk. I thought for a second on how to answer.

I couldn't exactly tell her that I would miss it like crazy. I couldn't tell her that I had more meaningful conversations with her in the last week than I had had with anyone in the last ten to twenty years. I also couldn't tell her that I found myself thinking about her more than anything else lately. Friends don't say those things to each other, at least not in my experience.

"I mean, I love it up there. Its so beautiful, but nothing can top being with the family and getting back to my projects. I miss Emmett and I miss working. I can only stay away for little bits at a time before I miss everything." I said trying to seem confident.

Bella's POV

We stopped for gas in the middle of nowhere. I had been talking with Esme some, trying to keep my mind off of things. I couldn't help it some of the ride, I just had too much going on not to think a little of it. I needed to stretch my legs and get some air. The car, no matter how big it is, can get a little stuffy.

I got out of the car and immediately Alice came up to me to see how my head was. I was doing all right, not too much of a hangover. I would have expected way worse for how much I drank the night before. She gave me a quick update on Jasper and Emmett and asked about Esme and I. I told her what we had been talking about.

I noticed Rosalie out of the corner of my eye pumping gas, but I made myself promise not to look at her. I couldn't see if she was trying to make eye contact with me because she was wearing some ridiculous sunglasses that Alice probably picked out. I promised myself I wouldn't be weird and talk to her first. Luckily, she noticed me and said something.

"Oh hey Bella." She called out.

"Hey Rose!" I sounded way too enthusiastic.

"So Emmett's birthday is coming up and I can't think of a good idea, do you want to ride with me and help me think of one?" She asked.

"Well, I mean I think Alice knows him more and could probably see in the future on which one he would like. You know?" I said trying not to seem antisocial, but I really wasn't sure how well I could help.

"Good thinking." She looked down disappointedly. Did I offend her?

"Well, it would be nice for you to ride with me in case you are hungry, we could stop. I know the other's kind of said they want me around when you hunt." She said. Maybe I did, she seemed fine now.

"I'm not really hungry, but if you want me to ride with you I can." I said. I wasn't hungry at all with my nerves running crazy. I did really want to be around her, no matter how awkward I felt.

"I mean its up to you." She said dismissively. I couldn't really tell if she still thought of me as a burden when she said things like that.

Alice was coming to get back in Rosalie's car, I wasn't sure if I wanted that or not. I really wanted to ride with her; I just liked being around her. I did feel awkward about the way she said some things though, its like she wasn't sure if she really wanted to be friends sometimes.

"Alice, Bella is actually going to ride with me." Rosalie said to Alice.

"Oh, ok then. I guess you weren't enjoying our intellectually stimulating conversation." She said teasing.

She grabbed her things from the car and moved to Esme's SUV. I went to sit in Rosalie's car and I suddenly got nervous. I wasn't sure what to say so I just sat silently for a while. I wanted to break the ice and see if she did want to still be friends after the stupid things I did last night. I pretty much made a mess of my dignity and myself last night. I almost kissed a close friend of the Cullen's, who was a girl. I puked several times in front of my new perfect friend, and I called her hot after. I was one smooth operator.

"Last night was fun." I said trying to sound natural.

"Yeah, you drank a lot. Everyone drank a lot though." She said coolly.

"I don't remember everything I said or did, so I want to apologize for…just anything if I was weird." I said hoping she would just get what all I meant by that.

"That's ok, you didn't really do anything embarrassing, well, aside from puking." She teased.

"Oh, crap. I did puke didn't I? So did Kate come onto me?" I pretended to not remember right away.

"Yeah, I was worried that you were not into it, so I tried to help you out, in case you were too drunk to tell her no." She said plainly. Maybe she didn't really think that much of it.

"I don't really know what happened. I guess I was feeling… outgoing." I said trying to make my decisions seem normal. I wouldn't ordinarily describe me trying almost kissing a girl as just outgoing.

"It happens." She said. So I guess this sort of thing is normal with them? Maybe I shouldn't feel so out of place about it. Maybe Rosalie is this friendly and dances closely to all of the girls she is friends with. I suddenly felt stupid for thinking that maybe I was different and closer to her.

"So, I am pretty excited to see Emmett." She said.

"Oh, I bet. He probably misses you." I responded, I couldn't think of anything better. She was probably just happy to get some space from me and see her husband. We were quiet for a few minutes before I tried to speak again.

"So are you going to miss Alaska at all?" I said hopeful that she would understand that Alaska meant time with me.

"I mean, I love it up there. Its so beautiful, but nothing can top being with the family and getting back to my projects. I miss Emmett and I miss working. I can only stay away for little bits at a time before I miss everything." She said confidently.

I guess when we got back I would try to give her some space. She had done a lot for me and made some sacrifices to help me. She was probably tired of having to play nice; our little vacation and fantasy world of being friends was probably over. Now she would be home where she had Emmett to be. I would have no one. I would have to confront my feeling about Edward leaving and protect my father. I was starting to fell pretty gloomy about the prospects of my return to Forks. I was going to miss Alaska and what that place meant for me. I was going to miss my friend.


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Note:

Hello everyone, Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate the feedback. This chapter is needed to bridge the gap for her to be back in Forks. More Rosella to come soon. Enjoy!

Chapter 17- Nothing Like Home

When we reached home I didn't even take the time to help with getting the bags out of the car. I ran up the yard to the house and burst in the door. Carlisle was coming out of his office to greet us.

"Where is she? Did you find her?" I asked urgently.

"Hello Bella, Erm, no. We are trying our best to keep tabs on her. She hasn't come into the town limits since that night." He said ever so calmly.

"My dad, he is ok? Does he know anything? Did he see her or the guys?" I asked trying to gather more information.

"He is completely fine. He is not aware of anything. He was asleep for all of it. We have been taking turns keeping watch over him." He responded.

"I'm sorry, I… I just care about him, if I lost him…" I tailed off in my own worry.

"He is going to be fine. We are keeping him safer than the president. If she came at him we could take her out easily. Though, we should all talk about this. Let's get settled and reopen this discussion in a few minutes." He said trying to help Esme in the door by grabbing the bags and giving her a kiss.

"Hello my love." He said genuinely to her.

"Hi Dear." She said back.

I settled down just a little and helped get our suitcases in the house. I went up to my room to unpack but I was too nervous about everything to do any of it so I left my bags on the bed to do it later. Thankfully Carlisle called us down to talk about the situation. I made my way down quicker than the others.

"I wanted to talk to you about everything that happened while you were away." Carlisle addressed all of us.

"Emmett and Jasper are currently out trailing Bella's father and standing watch of her family's house." He continued. "I know you already know a little of what happened. We caught onto the scent of James's mate Victoria in town, well; Emmett and Jasper did when out hunting. They followed the scent to Chief Swan's. They took the liberty to investigate, since they felt he could be in danger. It was a good thing that they did; they found that she had been in his room. We are not sure what her intentions were." He explained.

"Has she been back?" Esme asked.

"No, only to the town limits, we caught her scent there last night. She seems to have gone farther north since. I have a theory as to why she targeted Bella's house. I don't think she was trying to find Chief Swan. My belief is that she is hurting and seeking revenge for her mate James." He answered Esme. "It is common for vampires to seek revenge for mates who have been killed." He spoke to me.

"Why me? I didn't kill him. He almost killed me?" I asked.

"I think she is operating under the impression that Edward killed James. Since you are believed to be his mate, she is most likely trying to even the score, so to speak." He answered.

"What do you mean Edward's mate?" I wasn't familiar with this terminology.

"A mate is a vampire that is linked to another, similar to the human soul mate." He spoke.

"It's a stronger bond than just a husband or wife. It's a bond that is nearly impossible to get over when one of them is lost." Alice added in.

"Can't we just explain to her that I am not Edward's mate, and that he didn't kill James?" I said blankly.

"Well, first off, you may be Edward's mate. You two shared a bond when you were human. You may still be his mate; he has not really given it enough exposure due to his feelings and morals. Also, it would not put the rest of the family in a good place if she knew which one of us took the final blow, let alone who was involved. I spoke with Laurent, of the Denali Coven, on his return this morning, he says she is more powerful than she appears and to not take her as an idle threat." Carlisle stated.

"We could take her out." Rosalie said confidently.

"I don't want to risk her knowing that you were the one to take his head off. It's not smart. We will wait and see how this plays out. She didn't gather her scent as being there recently. She may move on." He said reasoning with her.

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Rosalie asked defiantly.

"I spoke with Esme, she says that Bella is doing well with her thirst. I think we should have her go home to Charlie. She can offer protection should Victoria make it through our watch." He said.

"There is no way in hell." Rosalie spat out. "She doesn't even know how to fight and what if she looses it and goes all predator on her father? She could be seriously hurt, or even die because of our ignorance!" She argued, a little too emotionally.

"She will only have to stay in control by herself while alone with Charlie. I have thought this through. I think you and Alice should switch off spending the nights with her to help with protection and with her thirst. Esme has offered to tail Charlie during the day while you are at school. When I am not at work I will help the guys with the town perimeter watch." He explained.

"I am more than willing to help, I can stay with Bella every night until this is figured out if Rosalie doesn't want to." Alice spoke up.

"I mean, its fine. I just didn't want her to remake psycho using her father. I can trade off." Rosalie countered.

"Bella, can you stay in control when you are around your father during the waking hours? The girls cannot always be openly around. They will have to sneak in when you are supposedly going to sleep." Carlisle addressed me.

"I know I can. I am doing good with it and I would never hurt him." I said back.

"Its settled then. We will have you call him and let him know you are heading back to Forks. You will have to come up with stories and details about being away in Phoenix." He stated.

"I will, but he doesn't ask a ton of questions, it should be simple. I am more worried about him getting over all of the hurt." I said sadly.

"He will forgive you, he probably already has. He is a good man, and I'm sure he will be happy enough just having you in his life again." Carlisle said comforting me. "There are only a few weeks left to school, so after that we can switch up our plan, but until then, we will keep everyone safe."

Following Carlisle's guidance we went for a hunt before I went to my father's. It may help with the burning in my throat, but I would never hurt him either way. I still hear the sounds of the men's voices sometimes. Its like they are near me, still begging for their lives. I Know that they were bad men, I know they were hurting others, but I still took their lives. I didn't just take their lives; I took any ambitions, any future plans, and any memories they had yet to make. I took away families' husband's, son's, maybe even fathers. Everything they were, everything they were going to be, gone because of me. I could never do that again, not to horrible men like them and surely not to my own dad.

Charlie had no idea I was coming home and I didn't have much of a plan. I guess my plan was to just tell him I couldn't stay away any longer and that I missed him so I came home. I figured that if he had spoken to my mom, I would play some 'confused teen gone out into the world' card. If he hadn't, which we thought he hadn't, then I could stick with the Phoenix story he already believed. I didn't think he would really need many details though. He would be happy enough to have me there, I was just afraid that he wouldn't be able to forgive me for leaving.

Alice drove me because her shift to watch me was first. When we got there he wasn't home, so we went inside to wait. I could smell the other vampire, the red hair that invaded what was mine. We went up to my room; it was odd and nostalgic to be there. I could smell everything that was my past life. I could smell Edward. His scent reminded me of what I had lost in my transformation, the whole house did. My only hope was that I could have some of this old life back.

Charlie's cruiser pulled up in the drive way after a little while of waiting. Alice assured me should would be up in my room waiting and protecting. I'm not sure if she meant protecting Charlie from Victoria or from me. I'm not sure if she knew. I quickly made my way downstairs. I was a stranger in my own home, I didn't know what else to do but sit at the table. I waited there for my father to meet me.

He groaned as he shuffled his way in the door. I heard him do what he had done everyday, same old Charlie. I heard him put his belt with his coat by the door and kick off his shoes. I knew that in precisely three seconds he would see me on his way to grab a beer. He came through the kitchen door and stopped. I saw every emotion he must have felt since the night I left him here. Since the night I told him I didn't want to be here with him anymore.

"Hi Dad." I said unsure of myself.

"Hey Bells." He said and with that he walked to me and scooped me up into a bear like hug. "Bella." He said, his voice muffled by my shirt, and by his emotion.

"Dad, I'm sorry." I choked out while we remained in a hug.

"Its ok. I was so worried." He paused, taking a step back to look at me. He kept his hands on my shoulders as if he let go I would leave again. "You look ok, are you ok? Is everything…"

"I'm great dad. I missed you." I said becoming awkward with my own emotion.

"I missed you too, Bells. I'm so glad you came back to visit, does your mom know you came?" He asked.

"Yeah, I came back to stay." I said

"Are you sure? I don't know if all of this changing around is good for you. I don't want you to leave again because you miss being down there." He was concerned.

"I'm here for good, I just needed some time. You know?" I said hoping he would leave it alone.

He let his hands fall and went to grab a beer from the fridge.

"I understand. Well, I'm glad to have you. The house is so empty without you." He said grabbing his drink. He paused and then put back his beer onto the shelf and closed the door.

"You know what? Do you wanna grab a bite from the diner? Like a welcome home thing?" He asked.

"Erm, sure dad." I said hoping to make up to him all the hurt I caused.

We went to the diner in his cruiser. We road the whole way in a comfortable silence, It was almost as if nothing had happened. I liked the feeling. I wish it were that easy to make everything in the past couple months just disappear. I was grateful for my new life, and some of the things that came with it, just not the choices I had made, and the people I lost.

When we walked in I spotted the one thing that was different from every other time I had been to the diner. I saw a hulky brunette vampire with a blonde goddess of a vampire hanging on him like an accessory. It took me a grand total of two seconds to figure out why Rosalie and Emmett were there, Alice. She must have sent them there thinking I might go serial on the lovely people of Forks. That wasn't going to happen. I guess they couldn't be too careful.

We sat down in our corner booth, and it just so happened to have a perfect view of the two vampire watchmen. I wonder if they knew that when they sat there? I tried to block them out of my mind.

I looked over the menu, knowing that whatever I chose would be just pushed around my plate and left to rot. I chose the cheapest option, no need to have Charlie pay for something that I wouldn't want. I couldn't help but notice them, the two lovebirds making a show. He seemed happy that she was being so affectionate. He sat with his arm around her; she held her hand up to meet his on her shoulder. I noticed that she played with his fingers as they talked.

I had never seen them so into each other. Maybe I had just never paid attention before. Maybe I had been only focused on the beautiful statue that I called mine at the time. I probably would have noticed many other things had I known the outcome of my relationship to him. I probably would have saved myself the trouble.

I couldn't stop myself from stealing glances at them. Charlie sat oblivious, happy to just be. I should have been happy to see them so happy together. I might have been, but I noticed little things. I noticed the little things in Rosalie's face. I don't know how, but I felt like I could tell she was not really happy. I had seen her smile in the most genuine way, this wasn't that smile. This was forced. She was acting, and I could tell. It mad me a little angry, I'm not sure why.

I tried my best to act like I was eating. I even put a couple bites in my mouth, only to spit the food out into my napkin minutes later. The food was disgusting; I can't believe I liked this once. Charlie looked to me every once in a while; I would give a small smile back. I think he kept checking to see if it was a dream or if I had changed my mind and left. I would never do that to him again.

We got back to the house and I went to bed at my normal time. I wasn't surprised to find Alice waiting for me in my room. I figured she had been there the whole night watching from outside. I pretended to be annoyed about her sending reinforcements to watch over me, but I wasn't. I was more annoyed that I couldn't get over Rosalie pretending to be something she wasn't with Emmett. Alice and I talked quietly for a while, then we settled into doing our own thing. She listened to music and I read. The end was pretty uneventful. I thought it might stay that way from now on.

I couldn't have been more wrong.


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note:

A bit of a gap in my uploads, my work schedule has been more than crazy. I still have more written, just haven't had a minute to upload anything until now. Thanks for the reviews and feedback! I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 18- The Secrete Life of the American Teenage Vampire

The next day I had to reenroll in the high school. The Cullen's had forged documents that lead the school to believe that I had moved to another school. I went with Alice to get my schedule, and I can't say I wasn't surprised by what I found. I had every class with my new family, two classes with Jasper, two with Alice, two with Rosalie and one with Alice and Rosalie together. They had influenced this without a doubt.

My first period was relatively calm, Jasper sat next to me. He was actually really talkative one on one. He was surprisingly funny and charming. I think I had never been able to experience it because he wanted to eat me before. By the time third period rolled around I started hearing the whispers. Lunchtime came and full-developed rumors had been circulating.

My superior hearing lead me to learn that I had been in Europe at a boarding school, out with mono, run away, had a breakdown, but my personal favorite was that I had been on the run for a crime I committed. Girls that had once been nice to me were almost afraid of me. Guys that had never noticed me before were watching me like I had a third head. It surprised me to learn that some of the most popular guys in school were suddenly very into competing to "do me."

I went through the lunch line hearing all of the rumors and comments around me. By the time the line ended I was ready to see a friendly face. I went to sit with my friends at their usual table. The lunchroom was shocked that I did so. I heard Jessica ask Lauren if they had adopted me now. If only she knew that her sarcasm was the most accurate explanation of all the rumors.

Alice giggled at the rumors she was hearing, I hadn't really laughed at them yet, but she made it all seem lighter than it was. I couldn't help but laugh at some of what I heard. She said this is how life was for them all the time. I understood now why they really didn't have friends in school. She explained that the guys in the school always were making bets about hitting on them and concurring them. I guess it was their predator appeal.

Edward had once explained to me that everything we are draws others in. I didn't really believe him, well, I guess it would be better to say that I didn't really understand him. I was the same Bella I was before, with a better complexion maybe, but still the same. You would think I had turned into a celebrity from the way guys talked about me. It was the same with Alice though.

"Rose get's the worst of it." Alice joked.

"Is that true? It must be the blonde hair." I joked back, knowing it wasn't. It was every detail of her. She was truly a creature out of this world. I watched her sit across the table from me. She hadn't added much to the conversation; she had been too busy hanging on Emmett again.

"She does, but never for too long." Emmett added.

"Probably not with you as her man, you are all muscle. If only they knew you are a big softy." I said teasing.

"Hey! I am terrifying, but no, she scares them off well enough herself." He said back. She slapped his stomach playfully.

"I just don't have patience for them, they are never even original. Its always "Hey beautiful, wanna, you know…erm, like grab a coffee?"" She rolled her eyes at her comment.

The lunch bell rang, we all grabbed our trays of food that were basically untouched. I said my good byes and went to my next class. Rosalie stuck back for a minute to kiss her man hunk. If puking was something vampires could do, I probably would have been. I found myself a seat in fifth period and waited for class to begin. A brave boy by the name of Josh approached me. He wore a letterman jacket and a preppy haircut. I could tell that a girl had never dreaded him approaching. Well, not until me that is.

"Hey, Bella, right?" He said smoothly.

"Yes, and you are?" I asked trying not to let my annoyance show.

"Josh, Josh Applegate. I heard you just got back." He said trying to make conversation. He sat next to me in the spot I was saving for my next guardian.

"I did, and I'm sure you heard where I was already. I'm just curious, which version did you hear?" I asked

"I heard a few things, if any of them are true then you must be one exciting girl. Do you want to maybe grab coffee and tell me about it?" He asked confidently.

"No, she doesn't. Go away, this is my seat little boy." Rosalie cut in as she set her stuff down on the desk he was sitting at.

"I didn't know this seat was assigned, in fact, I know its not. Why don't you just go sit up there?" He said turning back to face me.

"So beautiful, what do you…" He was interrupted by being dragged off the backwards from the side of his chair. Rosalie had grabbed him by the shirt and collar. He struggled to regain his balance but Rosalie had let go of him when his rear end was not in danger of landing back in the chair. He fell to the ground onto his backside. The class turned to see what the sound was, and he struggled to his feet quickly to regain composure.

"Josh, you shouldn't lean back in your chair. I've seen many people fall like you just did." She said in a mock concerned tone.

"You bitch." He said quietly.

"Maybe that seat up there will be more stable." She pointed to the same seat he had suggested. He gave her a glare but grabbed his stuff and went to sit at the front of the room. She sat down without another word.

"So that's what you deal with all the time?" I asked her when she didn't speak to me.

"More or less. I try to shut them down faster than you. Otherwise they get hope. Its cruel really." She said

"So, What would be a better line?" I asked pretending to make casual conversation.

"I wouldn't know, I've never heard a good one." She said still looking to the front of the classroom.

"Hm." I said quietly. She turned to catch a glimpse of me looking at my fidgeting hands. "How about, "You are without a doubt the most beautiful goddess I have ever had the…that I have been lucky to know. Would you please do me the favor of letting me get to know you more over a drink of coffee?""

I noticed that the words I had said had been my thoughts, and I let them escape my mouth. I didn't dare look up from my desk for a minute as I let the words sink in. I realized that I had just made everything awkward.

"I mean, that might have been better than "Erm, you are hot. Let's talk."" I added to make everything a joke.

"That would be a good line. Too bad no one has ever said that one, they would have given Emmett a run for his money." She said back. For some reason I was excited.

What was happening to me? Did I want to say that to her and want her to answer that wasn't in a joke? I was starting to think that maybe I didn't just think she was a cool new friend. She sat next to me for fifth and sixth period and it made my day. When I was around her, even if we didn't talk, I was happy. I was upset when I saw her and Emmett, I didn't think she was as happy as she could be. She needed to be happy, as happy as she could be. She deserved everything.

I walked with her to my last class. We made small talk about how dumb our teacher was in sixth period. I tried my best to make her laugh. Her laugh was starting to become a drug to me.

"Look, I think you hurt Josh's pride." I said pointing to the boy talking to his friends. I could hear him talking about the fact that Rose had tried to kiss him last year but he turned her down. I didn't see how any of his friends would believe that she would stoop to trying to kiss him of all people. His friends laughed and pretended to believe him.

"It happens, I'm sure he will make some lucky girl happy one day." She said rolling her eyes.

"He is totally going to be the guy at the reunion with a bald head and a gut. Probably still wearing that stupid jacket." I said defensive of her.

To my surprise she laughed, and my day was made. The world stopped when she laughed. I needed to become funnier; I needed more of this in my life.

Alice was already in our last class when we got there. She, of course, had saved us seats.

"Hey girls how are you?" She gestured for us to sit on each side of her.

"Just great Alice, as usual." Rosalie answered with an undertone of sarcasm.

"I heard about your little stunt in sixth period." Alice said low.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"With a certain football captain. You need to watch yourself; you don't want to start rumors that you have some inhuman strength, do you?" She scolded quietly.

"He was being a jerk." I added in defense.

"How did you hear the anyway?" Rosalie asked.

"I saw it, okay?" Alice said

"You know how I feel about you watching in on me." Rosalie said upset.

"I was watching in on Bella and happen to catch it." Alice said oversensitively.

"Fine, just try to leave me out of your visions." Rosalie requested.

"You know it doesn't work like that." Alice added before class started.

After school I went about my old routine, stopping by the grocery store to get food to fix for Charlie and myself. I started supper and finished just in time for Charlie to be home. He was happy when he walked through the door to smell steak and potatoes freshly made for him. The smell personally disgusted me, and so did the taste. I again spit out the few bites I took, but this time I had to do it a bit more discretely. We talked about our days and watched TV for a while.

As I started noticing him yawning my nerves began to rise. I knew the night was nearing an end, and that meant going to my room. Tonight was Rose's turn to babysit my vampire self. When it was time for dad to go to bed I said good night and went upstairs following him. I took my time, going to the bathroom. I tried my best to make myself look presentable; I realized it was a lost cause. I sighed looking in the mirror, trying to work up the courage to be alone with her again.

I walked to my room, took in a useless breath and opened the door. Rosalie sat relaxed on my bed reading. The sight of her turned the knots in my stomach into butterflies. I hadn't yet really taken the time to think about what the butterflies meant, about why I had the reaction I did to her. She was just Rosalie Hale, if there ever could have been a thing such as 'Just Rosalie Hale.'"

"Hey Rose." I said shyly.

"Hey, enjoy dinner?" She smirked at me.

"It was…god awful. How did I ever like that?" I laughed. She did too. It made the butterflies dance in me.

"So what do we do for the next eight hours?" She asked putting her book down.

"Well, I would say sleep, man I haven't slept in ages." I joked again.

"Not likely. Seriously, you don't even have a tv in your room." She teased.

"I guess we could twiddle our thumbs, sit quietly, or if we are really feeling crazy…we could talk?" I said trying to be casual.

"Daring indeed." She raised her eyebrow.

"How was school for you today?" I asked going to sit on the edge of the bed.

"The same as it has been for the past seventy years, just with different clothes and hair styles. Guys don't change. Sorry about that jock by the way." She took the bait for conversation.

"Its not your fault, he wasn't being a jerk until you got there anyways. He was actually nice." I said back.

"All men are jerks at one point or another." She said

"I bet Emmett isn't, he seems like a perfect guy. A little bit of a clown, but really sweet." I said back.

"He really is pretty sweet, I have a good one." She said looking down.

"I was wondering, what is it about him that you love so much?" I prodded.

"I'm not sure I understand. He is just a lovable guy." She responded a little sensitive.

"I mean, yeah, but I see you with him and you almost look too perfect." I said sounding like an idiot.

"Is that a problem? How is that a bad thing?" She asked with a little bit of attitude.

"Its not, I just hope you are happy." I said quietly.

"What makes you think that I am not?" She said crossing her arms.

"I just feel like…I don't know." I said mentally trying to turn back time to stop myself from bringing this up.

"Go on." She said sternly.

"I don't know! I feel like I just know you. It sounds stupid, I know." I said refusing to make eye contact.

"We have known each other for probably a year, and up until a couple of months ago, we didn't really even speak. How do you think you could possibly know me?"

"I'm sorry I brought it up, okay?" I said sensitively.

She didn't respond. She let the words sink in and marinate for a few minutes. I felt so stupid for letting my emotions control the direction of our conversation. She would probably ask to not come back to babysit me. I was making things awkward really fast.

"Its ok, Bella. I just haven't ever known anything different from Emmett and my experience as a human. I haven't put much thought into it over the years." She said gently.

"You don't have to, I was just making conversation." I said trying to make it better.

"I don't know what there isn't to love about him. He is loyal, kind and funny." She said looking to the wall with a glossed over look to her face.

"Carlisle mentioned the mates thing. Are you mates?" I asked

"Did you draw that?" She ignored my question, pointing to a picture on the wall.

"Erm, yeah I did." I looked at another reminder of my past life.

Just like that our uncomfortable conversation ended. We did talk; we talked the whole night actually. I really liked talking to her, and she is incredibly interesting. We talked about my family, about my mom and Phil. We talked about our theories on religion, about what life was like in the 1960's, about her love of modern art. She said she likes things that break the rules and symbolism. I asked her more about her father and about what high school was like when she was in it for the first time. Apparently she was a cheerleader. I would have loved to see her being peppy and cheering.

By the morning time we were in a heated debate about which era of film was the golden age of cinema when I heard Charlie getting up. I couldn't believe how the time flew. I wasn't exactly ready to give up my time with my friend. She seemed a little disappointed too, if I wasn't mistaken. It was time for another day of pretending to be something we weren't.

The next week was something of a constant repeat of the day before. Everyday of school was full of pretending, annoying boys and boring classes. I was given the pleasure of watching Rosalie and Emmett every lunch period. Everyday I witnessed her touching him was worse than the last.

I enjoyed Alice's company at night, but I lived for Rosalie's. When Rosalie was there we talked all night long, about everything. It seemed like we never ran out of things to talk about. I was lucky enough to get some laughs out of her. That smile she gives me when I surprise her with humor is priceless. I would give up blood forever just to see it.

What do you tell yourself when you can't stand to be away from someone? How do you explain away jealousy over seeing them with another? I was feeling things that brought me torture. No one feels things like this for a friend. I was starting to come to terms with the fact that I was seeing her as more than my best friend. Well, that's awkward.


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note:

I am sorry it took me so long to update! Work has been busy this month! Here we go again, I'm writing now too, so hopefully more to come! Thank you for the reviews!

Chapter 19- A Walk In My Shoes

Rosalie's POV

The first day I was back in school tested every nerve I had. All day long I heard over and over every rumor the creative people of Forks had to explain our absence. Most of them were centered on Bella. I did my best to be polite; it took all of my effort.

By the time lunch came I was done with high school. I almost hoped Bella would get hungry and make us move. I could go back to college and avoid all of the hormones and immaturity. I had no such luck; I hadn't heard any screams yet.

I found our table first; I kept a watch for Bella. Emmett and Jasper arrived next, last was Alice and Bella. I did the best I could to not pay too much attention to her. I was really touchy with Emmett, and he was eating it up. I hadn't been like this in a long time; I couldn't remember when the last time was that I acted like this actually. I had to prove it to everyone that I was happy and that Emmett and I were solid in our relationship. I had to prove it to myself too. Why wouldn't we be? He is such a great guy.

"Rose get's the worst of it." Alice joked.

"Is that true? It must be the blonde hair." Bella Teased.

I was trying my best to ignore the conversation, but I was brought up. I guess everyone thought I was an Ice Queen, even Bella.

"She does, but never for too long." Emmett added.

"Probably not with you as her man, you are all muscle. If only they knew you are a big softy." Bella added teasing.

He had never been one to get jealous. I guess I never gave him a reason to be; I never looked at other guys. I always warded them off so quickly.

"Hey! I am terrifying, but no, she scares them off well enough herself." He said back. I figured I should play along, so I hit him in the stomach to seem playful.

"I just don't have patience for them, they are never even original. Its always "Hey beautiful, wanna, you know…erm, like grab a coffee?"" I said trying to do my best teen boy impression.

I was excited to hear the lunch bell ring, which meant I got to see Bella next period. I didn't want to seem too eager about it. I didn't know what else to do, I pulled Emmett in for a goodbye kiss. He responded eagerly and I got more kiss than I wanted. As soon as Bella was gone I quickly stopped, told him I'd miss him and ran off.

I approached the classroom and I could already hear every conversation happening in the room. I only listened to one. I heard some horny teen boy talking to her. He sounded nice, but they all do at first. He was no different from the rest; I had to save her the trouble. I made my way to the back of the room and stood behind him. I couldn't handle anymore of his lame excuse of a pickup.

"I heard a few things, if any of them are true then you must be one exciting girl. Do you want to maybe grab coffee and tell me about it?" He asked stupidly. Did he not think she deserved a better line? She is not a normal girl.

"No, she doesn't. Go away, this is my seat little boy." I shut him down quickly, feeling the anger pool in the form of venom in my mouth.

"I didn't know this seat was assigned, in fact, I know its not. Why don't you just go sit up there?" He said turning his back to me. This kid was about to get a taste of karma.

I tried so hard. I really did. I was polite all day, I didn't loose my temper, and then just when I was ready to enjoy the rest of my day with my friend he had to come into this class, sit in my seat, and try to hit on my girl, I mean my best friend?

"So beautiful, what do you…" I grabbed him by his collar and gave him a good yank, forcing him to fall backwards off the chair. I had slid to the side as to not break his fall. He needed to let his ass meet the ground, and I allowed for that. The class turned to see what the sound was, and he struggled to his feet quickly to regain composure.

"Josh, you shouldn't lean back in your chair. I've seen many people fall like you just did." I said trying to seem concerned for him.

"You bitch." He said quietly.

"Maybe that seat up there will be more stable." I pointed to the same seat he had suggested. I tried to give me a glare, but I couldn't take it seriously. If only he knew that I literally did the least I could do to correct his attitude. I sat down next to Bella, hoping that I didn't seem possessive. I was quiet thinking about what I just did, wondering what she thought.

"So that's what you deal with all the time?" she brought me from my thoughts.

"More or less. I try to shut them down faster than you. Otherwise they get hope. Its cruel really." I said

"So, What would be a better line?" She asked.

"I wouldn't know, I've never heard a good one." I said, I really didn't think I had. That thought made me kind of sad. The world had a way of letting me down in many area of my life. Not that I wanted guys hitting on me left and right with unique lines. I just wish the world had more romance to offer. I have always been a cynic with a romantic's heart. What can I say?

"Hm." she said quietly. I noticed then that she seemed nervous. She was twiddling her fingers and fidgeting, it was kind of cute. "How about, "You are without a doubt the most beautiful goddess I have ever had the…that I have been lucky to know. Would you please do me the favor of letting me get to know you more over a drink of coffee?""

Maybe I had been wrong about the world. Maybe hope in the world was not lost.

"I mean, that might have been better than "Erm, you are hot. Let's talk."" She tried her best to joke, but I kinda thought she was being honest about what she said.

"That would be a good line. Too bad no one has ever said that one, they would have given Emmett a run for his money." Something in me wished she had been serious. I was confused, I shouldn't want those words to come from her. The rest of the class I had mixed emotions. I felt bad for wanting her to mean those words, but I was hopeful in the world because she existed.

After school I went home for a little bit. I thought Bella would be ok on her own until Charlie was home. I wanted to freshen up and change so that I would be ready to spend the night. I was getting ready when Emmett popped in the door of the bedroom. I was only wearing a bra and underwear and I saw the look in his eyes. I had been basically teasing him at school. I knew what it meant to him.

"Hey baby." He said eyeing me up and down.

"Hey." I said still looking for my shirt in my dresser.

He walked in the room and stood close behind my back. I felt his hands touch my shoulder, his mouth kissed at the bottom of my neck, just where it met my back. I wiggled my shoulders slightly and turned to face him.

"I missed you." He said softly.

"I actually have to get going, I'm sorry, I did miss you too." I said trying to be gentle with my words.

"You sure you don't have time for just a little…"

"Emmett, no. I'm sorry, maybe soon." I said and with that I grab my clothes and went to the bathroom to put on make up.

I made my way over to Bella's and climbed up into her room. I knew which one was her room but I didn't know what it looked like. It was more basic than I would have expected. I took the liberty of snooping around on her. I found a journal on her desk with some gross entries about Edward. I didn't read much, I felt like it was an invasion on her. It probably would have grossed me out anyways.

I saw a picture of her and Him on her nightstand. I have no idea how I never noticed her before. She was really pretty as a human, much like she still was. She seemed different standing with Edward though, like a scared lamb. She seemed more confident now, and it was a good change.

I sat on the bed and relaxed after a while. I decided to try to read a book I brought. I really didn't get much read. I kept listening to their conversation, it was very bland, but It was still Bella talking. Her voice comforted me somehow. I liked listening to it, but why? I had to really sit down and figure this out sometime.

It took an eternity for her to stop watching TV with her father, but finally she was on her way up. I repositioned myself to look casual on the bed. I waited, but she didn't walk through the door. Where did she go? I pressed my ear to the door to listen; she was in the freaking bathroom. I ran back to the bed and got casual again when she was making her way to the bedroom.

"Hey Rose."

"Hey, enjoy dinner?" I said happy to see her.

"It was…god awful. How did I ever like that?" she said in a way that was adorable. I laughed at the fact that I thought she was adorable. I was being stupid.

"So what do we do for the next eight hours?" I said putting my book down.

"Well, I would say sleep, man I haven't slept in ages." She said again. There she went doing that thing again.

"Not likely. Seriously, you don't even have a TV in your room." I joked.

"I guess we could twiddle our thumbs, sit quietly, or if we are really feeling crazy…we could talk?" She said coolly.

"Daring indeed." I raised her eyebrow trying to joke back.

"How was school for you today?" She asked going to sit on the edge of the bed.

"The same as it has been for the past seventy years, just with different clothes and hair styles. Guys don't change. Sorry about that jock by the way." I said.

"Its not your fault, he wasn't being a jerk until you got there anyways. He was actually nice." She said. I wanted to groan, he wasn't nice.

"All men are jerks at one point or another." I made my point.

"I bet Emmett isn't, he seems like a perfect guy. A little bit of a clown, but really sweet." She said reminding me that I had a loving husband.

"He really is pretty sweet, I have a good one." I said looking down.

"I was wondering, what is it about him that you love so much?" She asked. Why did she care?

"I'm not sure I understand. He is just a lovable guy." I said trying to get her to change the subject.

"I mean, yeah, but I see you with him and you almost look too perfect." Did she think I wasn't actually happy? I was more than happy with him. Wasn't i?

"Is that a problem? How is that a bad thing?" I asked defending myself.

"Its not, I just hope you are happy." She said quietly.

"What makes you think that I am not?" I asked. I was curious to know if she thought I was.

"I just feel like…I don't know." She said. I felt bad for making her nervous, but I had to know.

"Go on." I said.

"I don't know! I feel like I just know you. It sounds stupid, I know." She said. She continued to surprise me.

"We have known each other for probably a year, and up until a couple of months ago, we didn't really even speak. How do you think you could possibly know me?"

"I'm sorry I brought it up, okay?" She said upset.

I thought for a moment. I really wished she did answer; I wanted her to tell me how she felt she knew me. Was I being too obvious? I was already trying to prove to myself that my life was all that I wanted it to be with him. Did she see through it and know me better than I knew myself? That would be impossible.

"Its ok, Bella. I just haven't ever known anything different from Emmett and my experience as a human. I haven't put much thought into it over the years." I said trying to gentle.

Thinking about it, I really only chose Emmett in the first place because he was kinda funny and a huge guy. After what id been through in my time as a human, it felt comforting to be with a man that could protect me. Not that I needed it or anything, but to have that option was reassuring to me. I grew to love him, but that came with time. Plus, I kinda saved his life when that bear mauled him so many years ago, so it was natural for us to be together. I hadn't really put much thought into me wanting to be with him since then, it just happened.

"You don't have to, I was just making conversation." She said, making me come back from my thoughts.

"I don't know what there isn't to love about him. He is loyal, kind and funny." I said in a weak last-ditch effort to convince both of us that he was the whole package to me. I hated that she made me rethink everything.

"Carlisle mentioned the mates thing. Are you mates?" she asked.

"Did you draw that?" I drew her attention to a picture on the wall. I didn't want to talk about mates. I didn't want to touch that subject. I had enough to think about.

"Erm, yeah I did." She answered disappointed in my determent.

We talked for a long time after that. The conversation got more and more comfortable as the night went on. She was eager to know so much about me. I was a little taken back by her. No one had ever been as genuinely interested in my life as her. The good and the bad, she absorbed all of it like some kind of Rose obsessed sponge.

She challenged some of the thoughts I had. I enjoyed the challenge; I enjoyed hearing her perspective on subjects. She even asked me what I missed most about being human. It wasn't just my life, it was my thoughts and feelings she cared to know about. We had intelligent conversations about everything.

"I think I miss hope. Hope for the future. We are forever stuck here, never progressing, never moving forward. I miss the hope of children, grandchildren. I miss change, good or bad." I answered.

"So if you were given the choice, would you rather be human? Even if it meant you could age and die?" She asked.

"Yes, without a doubt. I would choose the ability to experience life in that way." I said confidently.

When morning came I heard Charlie waking up and moving. I knew that meant my time with her was ending. I was sad about it; I really hoped that this could just go on forever. This had been the best part of my week. I was happy with her around; she gave me hope that this life wasn't all bad.

Every night I got to spend with her that week was refreshing. She was intriguing, mostly because she was an old soul. I hadn't met anyone like her before; she was easy to talk to. When I say that, it's not something to be taken lightly. I have spent the better part of my long lifetime keeping my thoughts to myself. It was more than nice to be able to get them out, and for them to be acknowledged. I was happy with her around; she gave me hope that this life wasn't all bad.


	20. Chapter 20

Author's note:

Ok so in the next five chapters we will have a shift in this story. A lot if going to happen that will change their relationship and everything they know to be comfortable. We are going to see a little action after that. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 20- Down By the River

After the first week of being back in school, I would think I was used to everything that came with it. Usually my days were better when Rosalie was going to spend the night, but this day was an exception. I went about my day as I had each of the days before. I expected the same routine. This day was different.

It seemed like everything was going wrong, from listening to Laura talk gossip about me in first period to hearing new rumors being spread about Edward in fourth period. It had been no secret that Edward had not returned with us girls to the school. It also had been known that he and I were together. I heard all kinds of absurd rumors about me hurting him.

The rumor was that he had to go off to England to boarding school to try to get over me. They said that I had slept with other boys and that I was cruel to him about it. Usually the rumors were amusing, but these were different. Its like I couldn't stop hearing them no matter where I went. It was a constant reminder of the monster I had become, even if the true story was far from what was going around.

I was constantly reminded of him, all of his good. I thought today would be like the rest, boring and uneventful. I was so wrong. You see, by sixth period, the rumor had started giving the guys ideas. Sixth period was gym class for Rosalie and I, and it was normally a highlight of my day.

I got to be around Rosalie and pretend to not be the best athlete on the field. It was amusing. Today was different, you see, because the guys had heard that I had been sleeping around they thought they could easily concur me. A particular boy named Josh, the boy that had tried to get to know me the first day I was back, he thought I would give him another chance.

The teacher had asked for Rosalie to hang back from going to the locker rooms, she wanted to talk to her. I went ahead towards them to change. On my way down the narrow hall leading to both the girls and guys locker rooms I was pulled into a closet. I probably wouldn't have been moved so easily had I not been surprised.

It was Josh, but he didn't look as friendly as he had the other day. He had a severe expression on his face, like he was determined to have me see things his way. He closed the door in one swift motion and pushed me against the rack of supplies. He had his hands trapping me in on each side of my head.

"So I hear you like to have fun?"

"No, I don't know what you mean…" I said in shock.

"How about you give me another chance, right here. I know how girls like you like it." He said confidently. He started moving his hands to touch my chest.

"I, Erm…" I could have easily pushed him off of me. I could have easily tore his arms off had I wanted to, but I was like a deer in headlights. My mind and all my defenses we numb.

He started to move my shirt up, but before he was able to get any farther the door behind us flew open. Suddenly he was off of me and out of the closest we had inhabited.

Rosalie had him lifted against the hallway wall across from the opening of the closet. She held him firmly with her right hand by his neck. He seemed to be shocked himself by the blonde's strength. She lowered him to where he could see her eyes; he gasped and struggled for breath. He couldn't speak, he could only listen as she spoke.

"Pathetic boys like you shouldn't be allowed to exist." She said sternly giving a pause between her statements. "I ever see you near her again I will kill you. It wont be quick either."

She stared at him for a minute, watching him struggle under her grasp. She decided to let him go and return to me. I was shocked at everything that happened. I thought for a moment that she was going to kill him. He took his second chance at life and got out of there as fast as he could.

"Are you ok?" She asked me gently.

"I, erm… I think so." I said unsure.

"Do you want to go?" She asked me trying to help as best as she could.

I shook my head as if to answer 'yes.' There was nothing more that I wanted than to be gone from what just happened. She led me to the locker rooms and to my surprise she didn't let me out of her sight. She helped me get off my shirt gently, when she turned to get my clothes I became emotional over everything. She turned back and I embraced her suddenly into a hug, I was so upset at the world but so thankful for her. She hugged me and held me for a few moments and then helped me change into my regular clothes.

She led me out of the school to her car. I was still in shock but slowly recovering when we approached her red BMW convertible. She pushed a button and the top of her Z4 was pushing back and making itself comfortable in her trunk.

"Wait, where are we going?" I asked stupidly coming out of my daze.

"We are getting out of here, don't you think you need a break?" She said cleverly.

"Ok, that would actually be great." I said relieved at the thought.

We got in the car, I didn't care where we were going but I knew it would be better than Forks High school. She took her hair down as we pulled out of the parking lot and let it flow in the wind as we drove. She looked so natural driving, like a model for the car. I was already forgetting about what just happened from being with her. We were talking and things were getting better.

We had been driving for about an hour when she pulled to the side of the country road we were on. I had no idea what she was doing; we were in the middle of the woods. She got out of the car and grabbed something from the trunk, a blanket.

"Well? Are you going to come?" She asked me as if I knew what she was talking about.

"Where? Are we hunting?" I asked.

"No, I am taking to somewhere, unless you would prefer to sit in the car?" She asked as closed the trunk.

I got out of the car and followed her into the woods. I heard the light beep of her car locking as we made our way further into the woods. I followed her quietly for what seemed like forever until I heard the faint sound of a river.

We finally made it to the river and I was amazed. It was like a patch of secluded paradise. Tall gray rocks made up huge lounging areas and deep blue water gave the place an air of serenity. She put her blanket down on one of the huge grey rocks lining the water. She kept her sunglasses on but took off her shirt and pants as if it were nothing. I had never noticed another woman's body before, but I noticed hers.

She had a body that would make any model jealous. I couldn't help but notice her long curvy legs meeting her perfectly shaped hips. Her stomach was flat; maybe with a hint of tone to it, I could eat every meal off of that stomach and be more than satisfied. Oh god, I'm in trouble. By the time my eyes gazed to her breasts I was in awe, her hair was falling down beautifully on her flawlessly shaped breasts. Then, when I thought that I couldn't be any more shaken by what I was seeing, she turned around. Words can't even explain how impeccable her ass was. God himself must have taken his time to create the most perfect woman on earth. I couldn't take my eyes off how stunning every part of this woman was. What snapped me back to reality was a tingling in my, erm, nether regions? Well, this was new. I had never really had a physical reaction like this to anyone, let alone a woman I was supposedly 'friends' with.

She noticed as she started to sit down on the towel that I had not matched her lack of clothing. I was sure she was anything but insecure about the way she looked. I wondered if she would mind if I didn't flaunt my failings in my physique. I was also still wearing my old black bra from my days as a human; it did nothing to help my chest. I really didn't need her to be made aware of it.

"I already saw you when I helped you change in the locker room, or do you not remember?" She said amused at my discomfort.

"I forgot…I was little out of it." I said embarrassed.

"If you aren't comfortable after what just happened, its ok. I just wanted to get away and enjoy the sun where we didn't have to hide. I figured you might like this." She said looking to the river.

"Its amazing, I love it here." I said as I took off my shirt to attempt to match her level of comfortable. I slide my pants off and was thankful that I wore cute underwear. It was the most I could do to help my contrast in physique. I was just skinny. I had a little bit of curves, but nothing like the victoria secret model I was about to sit next to. I took my spot on the blanket and let the view sink in.

I could probably just live in this place. This could be it for me. I listened to the sounds of the birds and the water. I felt the sun on my skin; it was such a beautiful day. I needed this after everything that had happened earlier. I was thankful to have such an amazing girlfriend. No just friend. Friend that is a girl.

While I was taking it all in I closed my eyes. I let the winds dance across my skin while I thought about how much this meant to me. I was deep in thought when I felt a splash of water hit me. Rosalie had jumped in and was under the water. I leaned forward, looking to find her. I started to get more and more curious about where she was.

I searched the water with my eyes and found nothing. Just before I was going to jump in I felt a bigger splash to my left. She started laughing at me and for a brief second I was embarrassed. That is, until I looked at her, she was smiling that genuine smile. It caught my breath; I hope she didn't notice, because I'm sure my reaction was awkward.

"Get in!" She shouted to me smiling.

I jumped in her direction without answering. The water was invigorating. I felt so graceful and so much more powerful. I spotted her under the water; she had gone under to meet me half way. We met under the water and stayed there for a moment. To no need to go up for air was an experience out of this world. We just looked at each other, observing how different the water made us look. She then went up to the surface and I followed.

When we met at the surface we were closer than I had anticipated. She looked into my eyes when I met her. She made me forget about everything, everything was still when I looked into her eyes. I was drawn to her, like a moth swarming around a flame. I looked to her lips, and for just a second, just a brief moment, I thought I might see what it felt like to touch them. We were only inches away from that, how much could three little inches hurt?

It was then that she dunked me under the water again. That moment was lost forever, and I was back in the world. I was back to reality, under the water, never to knowing how it felt to touch those lips. Something was going on with me, I hadn't had a ton of friends, but I was sure friends didn't think about their friends lips.

She laughed when I came back up; all I could do was play back. I grabbed her head and pushed her under the water teasing her back. The rest of our swim was easy and playful like that.

We had laid on the rocks under the sun and just talked. We talked about our day; she had heard rumors about me too. She said things like that happen with her all the time. Eventually we shifted into a comfortable silence. I let my mind wonder, and it drifted to her and Emmett.

"Hey Rosalie?" I said out of the silence.

"Yeah?" She answered.

"How are things with Emmett?" I asked as my curiosity won me over.

"They are good. Some days are better than others." She said honestly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, he has needs and I have been absent lately." She said saying each word more cautious than the last.

"You guys aren't having sex?" I asked bluntly.

"I mean we do, we have always had a pretty active sex life. It's just that I don't give him everything he needs from me in that area. Lately I have been so busy it hasn't really been happening much." She said slowly as if she was thinking about it.

"You do get every other night with him." I said as if it were obvious.

"It's complicated. Why are you so interested in my sex life? Do you even have one of your own?" She teased defensively.

"I wish." The words surprised me as they came out.

"Well, I guess not since brother dearest went away." She said referring to Edward.

"We never had sex." I said quietly looking away.

"You what?" She said sitting up to look at me in surprise.

"We never did it." I said feeling stupid

"He always talked like he was all modest, but I didn't believe he would actually hold out! Not even once? Not even messing around?" She asked amazed.

"Nothing." I said shyly. "I mean, I wanted to. I tried." I said to make it seem like I wasn't a complete nerd.

"So he didn't ever give in, huh." She stared off thinking in amazement.

"He didn't trust himself with me." I said.

"Well, he was a bit dramatic. If I felt as strong for you as he said he did then I wouldn't have had to try that hard. I would have known that my love was stronger." She said. She quickly changed her expression from serious to light. "I mean, they can't all be as perfect as me." She teased.

"True." I said honestly.

"Well, so are you a…virgin?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yep. I mean, I wasn't really that interested in guys until him. I just didn't think about it much." I said feeling like I made myself seem odd.

"I get it. I didn't think about guys until Emmett. I guess I did when I was human, I mean I did want a husband, but not much since." She said.

"At least I'm not as odd as I think I am." I said.

"I'm pretty sure you are. That's ok, being odd is the new thing I hear." She teased in a way that made me feel better.

As the sunset we made our way back to the car. I was so happy she was there, I was happy she was in my life. I don't know how I would have been without her this whole time. I thought a lot about it on our way home. She played sixties music and sang along with every song. I never got to see her like this, so light hearted. She was in rare form today and I loved seeing it. I sang when I could, I laughed, but I mostly just thought about her.


	21. Chapter 21

Author's Note:

This is a short chapter to bridge a gap and get into Bella's thoughts a little bit. At this point she kind of knows that her feelings for Rosalie are suspect. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 21- Am I Gay or Just Happy to See You?

The next day I went through the motions at school. Class to class, nothing special happened, aside from Rosalie Hale. I spent the day in confusion, an odd mixture of trying not to think about everything and obsessing about it at the same time. I started to wonder if I was losing my mind. Jasper noticed my elevated mood at lunch, he asked me if I was ok and sent a wave of calming vibes my way. I sloughed it off and pretended like I was stressed about a project.

My classes with Rosalie were confusing as ever. She acted normal, but I probably acted like a complete fool. I kept inspecting her when I felt like she wasn't looking. I was wondering what it was about her that I couldn't stop thinking about. She was indeed a goddess, that was a given, but the rest of the Cullen's were also incredible. Why didn't I lose my words, my breath, and my sanity with Edward? He was said to have been abnormally beautiful with his features, and sure he was like a model had a baby with an actual Greek god.

I didn't have this reaction with him though. There was a tension there, but it was never thoughtless. Everything I did and felt with her was natural. As if I were made to desire her. I was also confused about the fact that I never saw this until I was a vampire. I chalked it up to being into Edward before, a sort of blindness that came with loving him.

I examined her as she took notes in our class together; everything about her had me asking for more. She had been such an ass to me too. She was nothing but a stick in the mud before. Now she was a different person to me, she had evolved in my eyes so much. Had she been this beautiful creature all along?

She noticed me a couple times, and I looked away without explaining each time. I hoped that she thought nothing of it. One of the times she noticed me I saw her smile at me. It made me lose my thoughts.

I noticed that the Josh wasn't in our classes anymore. That was quick, I had expected to see him. I had prepared myself for the awkward glances.

I was more self-conscious than normal about changing in front of her in gym class. I was more aware of how I looked than I had been. I was more aware of where my eyes wanted to travel. I turned away to change, I felt almost disrespectful if I didn't turn away.

"So what have you two been up to?" she said when we walked into our last class. Her comment seemed light hearted enough, but her face seemed accusatory.

"Nothing, just the norm." Rosalie answered. Alice's eyes remained on me. I felt a little intimidated by them.

"I missed you yesterday in this period, did you enjoy your little trip?" She asked to Rosalie. She immediately gave me a look after her question.

"It was great, we went to my spot, just swam. Not too eventful." She answered unsuspectingly.

I wondered why she didn't treat me like this in our periods earlier. She seemed kind of normal. A little quiet, but I hadn't thought anything of it really.

"So did I miss anything yesterday?" I asked trying to soften her up.

"Oh, probably, I hardly ever pay attention to these classes anymore. I kind of know everything by now." She said looking into my eyes. There she went intimidating me again.

"Oh, well, I bet. You both probably know more than our teachers." I tried to make light of it.

Alice acted really awkward with me the rest of last class. She kept giving me glares and reacting oddly to everything I was saying in our conversation. It was like she thought I was keeping something from her.

By the end of the day I was questioning everything about myself. Had I just moved on from Edward? Had I not felt as deeply for Edward as I thought? Could it be possible that I feel for Rosalie? Do I see her as more than a good friend? Oh god, do I want her to be mine?

After school I said my goodbyes to the Cullen's, I think I sounded like an idiot when I told Rosalie. I was walking backwards away from her as I waved one last time when I turned to almost plow over Alice. I jumped when I saw her. She was looking at me with an angry expression.

"Bella Marie Swan, you and I need to talk." She said sternly.

"Yes?" I said scared.

"You better be tired early tonight. I will see you at eight o'clock sharp." She said. She didn't give me a chance to say anything back. She passed me and was getting in the car before I knew it.

I didn't put a ton of thought into her anger. I figured I upset her without trying. I mostly thought about what I had thought about all day as I cooked and prepared dinner. The more I thought about it the more I knew I needed to talk to someone about it. I thought I might try to talk to Alice about it all since she was my best friend. She was her sister and probably wouldn't have much to say, aside from the obvious objection, but I needed to get it out.

After Charlie ate I started getting nervous. I was scared to face Alice. I knew she was upstairs waiting. Probably watching the seconds go by on the clock. When seven fifty nine approached I had worked myself into a frenzy. Had I been human I would have had to shower from all the sweat that would have been coming out of me.

"You alright, Bells?" Charlie asked.

"Erm, yeah, I think I'm just tired. I'm going to go to bed."

"Ok, sleep tends to help that. Have a good night, hun." He said in the sweetest way he could. Charlie was never super natural with emotions.

I walked slower up the stairs than I probably ever did as a human. I turned the knob slowly and peaked into the room. I didn't see Alice. I walked in to look out the window to see if she was playing a cruel game on me.

"You have some explaining to do!" She startled me.

She had been sitting in the chair to the side of the door, and when I opened it I couldn't see her behind it. She had a habit of making me jump today. I turned to see her face, she had a stern look but when I looked at her she saw everything I felt in my expression. She saw all of the hurt, worry, confusion and angst. Her face softened into an almost comforting look. She walked came to me and scooped me into a hug. She had a way of knowing me.

"Alice, what if I am gay?"


	22. Chapter 22

Author's note:

Hope you are still enjoying this. Like I said, things are going to get more exciting:) Review for me! still writing a couple chapters ahead.

Chapter 22- The Struggle is Real

"What do you mean if?" Alice said to me astonished.

"I have no idea, I mean what if I like…you know?" I said hoping she wouldn't make me say it.

"I would think you would know already." She said as if she knew my secret.

"How do you know for sure?" I asked confused and shy.

"Well, did it feel good? Did you even think about what kind of impact it would have on Rosalie?" She angrily.

"I …wait, what?" I stopped when I realized we must have been talking about two different things.

"When you kissed her, yesterday…" She said mater-of-factly.

"I didn't kiss her! Did she say I did?" I said shocked.

"No, I was wondering where you were and I finally got a clear vision of you, you were in the river, which I know you went to, and you kissed her. You came up for water, stood close, and then you did it. I lost the vision after." She said upset. "Why would you not tell me, like immediately? Why would you try out any curiosity on anyone but Rosalie, ugh. You know she is taken, right?"

"I didn't though!" I couldn't even get out the words I wanted to say to defend myself.

"Didn't stop to think you could make things a little messy with the family?" She snapped back.

"I didn't kiss her!" I said too loud. I covered my mouth after I spoke, realizing Charlie was in the same house.

"Why did I see that then?" She asked more concerned than accusatory.

"I don't know. I mean I think I wanted to. I'm not sure what is happening." I said as I sat down and covered my face. This was all too much, and it was overwhelming me to think about what it would do to the family if I did have feelings for her. She obviously wouldn't share those feelings, but things would be strained with Emmett and probably the rest of them. Would they even think it was ok? They are all from a different time.

"Maybe I saw it because you wanted to, maybe you planned to in that moment, but then decided not to." She said calming down with every word. "Are you ok?"

She sat down next to me and put her arm around me. She gave me a little squeeze to show me that she cared and that I could trust her. I knew I could tell her, the problem was, I didn't know what to tell her. I hadn't really figured much out, and this was all very new to me. Not only was I into a much older vampire who was married, but also she was a girl, no a goddess. I was just setting myself up for a disaster, as if liking Edward hadn't been enough of a wake up call to check myself into a vampaholics anonymous. My life was turning out to be just a series of bad decisions and this would surely follow suit.

"No. I'm not, I mean, I don't really know. I feel like my life is spiraling out of control." I said sadly.

"It doesn't seem that way to me. Why do you think that?" She asked.

"I have never felt like this before. I don't know if I am just noticing Rose because of this whole change, but I kind of…like, I can't stop noticing her. I feel like I'm going out of my mind. I don't think I ever was like this with another girl. Is it just a really hard friend crush?" I rambled on.

"I don't really know, Bella. I have never had experience with this sort of thing." She thought for a minute. "Do you think you are attracted to her, sexually?"

"I notice her body, and I notice how beautiful she is. I think I am…but it's more than that. I get shocks in my stomach around her. I think about her all the time. When she is around I feel like things are perfect, you know?" I said getting caught up in my explanation.

"Did you feel that with Edward?" She asked to compare.

I thought for a minute. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew it was different. Loving him had been so difficult. It was something I wanted and needed, but it was a struggle for us because of our differences. It was easy with Rosalie, she was less controlled in ways that Edward was. She allowed herself to have fun and be light hearted. Everything with Edward had been forced, controlled, and unbending.

"It was different. He was unlike her in almost every way and that made us as a couple different. Everything was calculated with him, and with her it's an explosion. I thought about every move I made with him, I thought about everything I said to him. I am natural with her, I can be myself." I said deep in thought.

"That is good, but what I mean, or what I am asking is about the attraction."

"I was attracted to him, who isn't? He is a perfectly sculpted statue. I am attracted to everything with her though. She is too perfect, she is incredible, but she is more than looks." I said trying to reason with myself.

"So have you ever felt like this before, for a girl?" She asked cautiously.

"I don't think so, I don't know. I never paid much attention to anyone, guy or girl. Maybe I am just crazy and like dangerous creatures." I said trying to cover up my worry with joking.

"Maybe it just took incredible people to catch your attention, you are pretty wonderful. It's going to be ok. I just don't know what this means for everyone." She said thinking deeply. "So what now? If its just Rosalie, are you going to tell her?" She asked worried.

I thought for a moment, what did all of this mean? What would happen if she knew? I would probably lose her as a friend. If she told Emmett, which I am sure she would, I would lose him too. I could just keep living this way. Maybe after a while I would lose the feeling.

"I don't think I can ever tell her." I said sadly.

"That might be for the best, at least for now. I don't meddle in her and Emmett's business much, but they seem happy. Well, they seem the same. I haven't really ever seen Rosalie happy, not more than a moment at a time." She drifted off into thought again. "You know, those small moments of happiness seem to be happening more lately, and around one person in particular."

"I'm sure that she is happier since she has been around Emmett again. I just need to let them be, maybe I should a break from her and try to get over this." I said depressed.

"No, it's been more so around you. I don't know what that means, but I don't think you should shut her out. Maybe she needs a good friend like you. I'm not saying you should make a move on her or anything, just be there for her like you already are."

"If I am gay, what does that mean for me? Will you all still want me around?" I asked sheepishly.

"Oh my God, of course! We may be old but we are progressive. We have gay friends in Europe. Besides, I have kind of always assumed you were. I was surprised when you were with my brother." She laughed.

"Really? Why?" I asked stunned.

"You just have a way about you. I can tell, I'm quite good with these things." She said proudly.

"Am I the worst person to have a crush on Rosalie?" I asked worried, hoping for reassurance.

"Well, no, she is beautiful. I think it just matters what you do about it. Maybe you two are meant to be, but I wouldn't force it. Maybe her and Emmett still have more to their story. Just be there for her."

That is what I would do. This would pass, I just had to be strong and not think about her like I had. She was just a very good friend, a very good and beautiful friend. This was going to be hard.


	23. Chapter 23

Author's note:

I have read your reviews and I have heard you. I don't want to say what's about to happen next chapter, but just know that Its what some of you have wanted :). Thank you for the feed back, it helps a lot. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 23- Friend Date

Rosalie's POV-

It's Friday, and all I have left to suffer through is this one class. One class before I get to be with my friends, before I get to see Bella. Call me crazy, but I was beginning to see her as a best friend. I had never really had one of those before, aside from Alice. Alice was sort of a default best friend though, had we both been human, we probably would have never shared more than a simple 'hello' in passing.

I looked forward to seeing her, and I loved every minute we had together. I thought about things we could do when we hung out and I thought of gifts I could get for her.

She had been a really good friend to me; I mean no one had ever really taken the time to just listen to me. People had asked about me, but I have always been able to see through them, I know their intentions. She was different, she asked about me because she cared, she was genuine in everything she did and said. I really wanted to show her I cared about her.

What do friends get friends?

I looked around at my classmates in my math class. I thought about what a normal person would get someone to show them they were thankful for them. I wouldn't expect any of these idiots to know what a good gift would be. What do you get someone that doesn't ask for anything?

I spent most of the rest of the day thinking about what to do or get to show her that I was happy she was around. We had our classes together and I couldn't have been happier. I was in a consistent low level nervous around her. Like I didn't want to say the wrong thing and her rethink talking to me. I felt so dumb so I overcompensated by acting as calm and cool as I could.

"So what did you want to do tonight? Want to play more poker?" She asked, bringing me out of my thoughts while we pretended to tolerate gym.

We had been playing various card games at night, I was teaching her the different types of poker. The guys in our family love to play and best anyone they can. I had seen cars won and family air looms lost during poker games. She and I had the bright idea for me to teach her and mess with the guys one night. We could let them think she didn't know how to play and best them at their own game.

She had been getting quite good at Texas hold'em during the time we had been playing. She had surprised me a couple times when I was carried away in conversation. I wondered if we could take a night and go to the Little Creek Casino and test her skills. I ran through the details in my mind before I responded.

"Actually, I have an idea. Would you maybe want to go out tonight instead? We could test your poker skills at a Casino near Olympia." I suggested.

"That would be awesome. What about my dad though?" She asked.

"I think I can get Alice to standby in case anything happens." I said confidently. I knew I would owe her for taking her away from Jasper for two nights in a row. Maybe I could just stay with Bella Tomorrow night and the next to make up for it. Not too bad of a plan.

The brilliant idea of Bella's gift hit me. She mentioned that she had secretly always wanted a motorcycle, but that she had always been too uncoordinated to trust herself on one. I had just finished fixing up a Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500. The bike was old, but I restored it to its former glory plus I added some modern comforts. It would be a perfect starter bike for her. We could ride our bikes to the casino tonight.

The bell rang to let us know our last class was over. She got up and started to grab her things. I realized I had been in thought for a few minutes; she had been talking to Alice. I looked to Alice, knowing she heard our low conversation. I gave her a small puppy dog look to silently ask her if it were ok. She nodded in agreement, she seemed happy to oblige. A classmate caught Bella's attention and she went over to talk to them. Alice took the opportunity to talk to me about our plans.

"So you are giving her a bike, eh? Couldn't just buy her a friendship bracelet or something?" She teased.

"Leave me out of your visions Alice. She did mention she wanted one. I have a lot of cars and bikes…ok?" I said defensively.

"Its hard to stay out when you make so many plans in your head. She leaned in to whisper the next part. "She loves it by the way."

"I'm glad." I did my best to slough her off with sarcasm. I was pretty excited that she saw Bella liking it though. I had to run home and clean it up, make sure it was shining.

"Hey Bella." I spoke up to get her attention. She quickly said good-bye to her classmate and turned her attention to me.

"Yeah?"

"Come over about six? That should give you time to see Charlie for a couple minutes? I have a gift for you." I said.

"Sounds great!"

"Oh, and Bella, wear a leather jacket." I said with a smile.

I went home and immediately went to the garage. I wanted the bike to be perfect before I gave it to her. I washed it, shined the chrome and shined the tires. It looked pretty damn good. The only question was what bike would I ride? I didn't want to seem too showy, so the Suzuki crotch rocket was not the best idea. Maybe I would go with Honda Rebel 500. It was a modest but definitely attractive choice. I had just repainted it matte black too, didn't get a chance to drive it yet.

After I was satisfied with all my choices and how they looked I looked at the time. I had to book it to get ready. I was kind of stressed about what to wear. I settled on a pair of black ripped jeans, a tank top and a leather jacket. I almost asked Alice to do my make up, even after decades of learning; she was still better at it. She was a true Michelangelo when it came to face makeup. I decided against it, I told myself that it was over the top.

I did my brows and try my best to contour my face. I added a little black eye liner, dark eye shadow and mascara for the look I was going for. Something in me wanted me to look my best. I wasn't used to going out with people I actually cared about looking good around. I had sort of never really considered it. I mean I looked pretty good all the time, actually. Hales are driven by perfection, and now that it mattered to me, I wanted this to be no exception.

I was getting ready to head down stairs when I passed Emmett's room. He looked up from a comic and raced to catch me. I felt him touch my arm as I passed, and it startled me.

"Hey babe..." He paused to look me up and down. "You look sexy, love. Where are you heading?"

"I'm just going out tonight with Bella. Thanks" I looked down; I was a feeling a little guilty that I hadn't thought to say good-bye.

"What are you girls planning on doing? Can I come?" He asked innocently.

"We are just going to head down to the ca…erm…just go out for a girls night. Grab some drinks probably." I remembered midsentence that I would give away our secret if he knew I was teaching Bella poker.

"Oh, well, ok." He said with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"I forgot to mention, Alice and I switched watching Bella, so I will be with her for two nights, sorry." I said feeling bad.

"I thought we were going to go hunting in the Rockies for a night, you know…visit the old cabin." He winked suggestively.

"I'm really sorry babe, maybe this next week?" I suggested trying to make it better.

"Sure. Hey, are we ok?" He asked confused.

"Yeah, of course. I'm just not used to having a good friend, I'm just trying to enjoy it." I said casually.

"Ok, it's just that I noticed we have been especially distant lately. I feel like I'm trying, but you seem like you are in another world, one that doesn't include sex." He shrugged on the last part.

"We are fine." I touched his arm. "I have just been really busy with this Charlie, Bella situation. I'm sure it will get better."

"Ok." He sighed. "Well, have fun tonight, I guess I'll just go hunting by myself."

"Catch something big ok? Maybe take Jasper."

"Eh, he has Alice, they seem to find time to spend together." He said with a little bit of hurt in his voice.

"I promise we will find more time, I'm sorry Emmett. I'll see you later, ok?" I said trying to alleviate his wounds.

"Ok, love you." He said as he turned to return to his room.

"Love you too." I said softly.

I took a quick pause between my words and my exit. I would have to figure out a way to fix this with him later. He was such a kind and respectable guy. I had no reason to distance myself from him. He had everything a girl should want. I was lucky to have him.

Just as I was stepping off the last step I heard Bella's truck pulling up. Not even a human could miss the smell of that screaming metal death trap. I heard the creek of her door and a loud slam when it shut. I decided to go outside to greet her; I was just excited to see her.

"When are you going to get rid of that thing?" I greeted her.

"Well, as soon as running as fast as a car is socially acceptable among the humans. Until then, I have no other options. Besides, it has its charm, I love him." She said fondly.

"Oh, it's a him?" I asked cocking my brow.

"Yeah, his name is Franky. Its short for Frankenstein." She said completely serious.

"What are you going to name your next car? Dracula?" I tried my best to be funny.

"I think that hits too close to home."

"You are probably right…so, I have a gift for you." I said.

"I know! I have been wondering about it, you really didn't have to get me anything. I am happy to just go out with you." She said shyly.

I let her follow me to the garage. Just before the door I told her to wait while I went in first. I came back to get her with her new helmet in hand. It wasn't like she really needed it, but it was the law and we Cullen's were good law abiding citizens, for the most part. I handed it to her and saw confusion pass through her expression.

"Thank you Rose, but I don't really understand." She said giving the helmet a look.

"It's an accessory." I said as I opened the garage door for us both.

Positioned in front of us was her beautiful classic battle green Bullet. A look of excitement came over her. I had never seen her this thrilled, she ran up to the bike and touched the handlebars. She looked over the bike for a minute, she couldn't hold in the smile across her face if she tried. She turned to look at me, and her smile provoked something in me that I couldn't explain.

"Are you taking me for a ride on your bike?" She sounded so eager.

Did she really think that all of this was for a ride? She was like a kid happy to play with just a box, so easily made ecstatic. It made me glad that she was this excited for just a ride, I was happy I could make her this excited.

"Actually, I wanted to teach you how to ride." I said.

"Me? You're bike might not come back in one piece with me driving." She joked.

"It's a good thing that's not my bike." I said.

"Rose, I can't. What if I mess up his bike?" She said a little concerned.

"Who's bike?" I asked curious of what she assumed.

"Emmett, I'd feel horrible if I crashed." She said. I laughed at the fact that she was so oblivious.

"The bike is your gift, Bella. You are pretty dense." I teased.

"Are you serious?" She said with her jaw dropped. She climbed on top of the bike.

"Yeah, that was the gift. I had bought it a year or so ago and just finished refurbishing it. Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it! Are you sure?" She said in shock.

"Of course, let's teach you how to ride it."

I showed her the clutch, the brake, the throttle and how to shift. She seemed to get it but was unsure of how well she could actually operate it once in motion. I had her kick start it when I opened the garage. She did it with ease and her face lit up.

"Ok so click into first and find that sweet spot." I instructed. "Alright, now give it some throttle and let it engage."

She found it and the bike started moving, she turned the throttle to give it more gas and immediately drove into the same car she bashed in when she had first turned. Her face went straight to mine in horror. I could see that she expected me to ruin her face, as I once promised. I couldn't help but laugh at how the way she looked at me. I hadn't fixed the car yet and she made no additional damage. I didn't think I could ever hurt her, even if she torched the car. She had nothing to be afraid of.

"Its ok." I said laughing.

She brought her bike back up straight and tried it again. Just like that she was out of the garage. She already learned how to shift up, so she didn't bother to stop. I ran to my bike and followed after her. When I caught up to her she was in her own world. The helmet I gave her had a blue tooth radio I had turned on before giving her. I suspected that she might get away from me so I was prepared to be able to talk to her this way.

"Do you like it?" I asked into my microphone.

"What the hell? We can talk?" She seemed startled.

"Yeah, I gave you a helmet connected to mine. How do you like it?"

"I love it!" She said giving it a little more throttle.

"I figured we could ride to the casino with these. You ready to follow me?" I asked.

"Lead the way!" she said excited.


	24. Chapter 24

Author's Note:

Hope you like the ending of this chapter! I have written some Rosella to happen soon, so for those of you who are frustrated with the tempo, its coming. This is a slow burn, but things are slowly working themselves out. Be patient and enjoy the ride ;). Thank you again for the feedback, I do appreciate all of it.

Chapter 24- Poker Face

The casino was not as big as I expected on the outside. Inside it was deceiving though, and more upscale than I would have guessed. It was crowded in the table games area, actually, it was crowded everywhere. Rosalie led the way through the crowd. I had a hard time keeping up because of all the people. I had been a bit distracted by the sounds and smells that accompanied this packed place. There were so many heartbeats. I felt my throat burn and tingle with all the blood lust.

Just when I lost my way I felt a hand clasp mine. I instantly felt electricity course through my body and looked down to see Rosalie's hand. She was attempting to guide me through the crowd, but I could sense she was also reminding me of my need to be in control. She knew me more than I thought, for it did bring me out of my thirst and out of my vampire mind.

We made our way to the ultimate Texas Hold'em table closest to us. The minimum bet was fifteen dollars, but I suppose that was nothing to a Cullen. I looked around the table and noticed that it was nothing to almost everyone there as well. Only one grim looking man seemed to be loosing badly.

Rosalie pulled out a chair for me to sit. I took my seat at the only open spot to the farthest left of the dealer; Rosalie took her place standing behind me. She almost hovered over me with each hand. She tried to let me think for myself but would gently whisper advice every so often when I appeared to question myself.

I was stumped on what seemed to be a simple check hand. The dealer revealed a two sevens and a queen and all I had was a pair of twos. She seemed to pick up on my vibe because I felt her lean in and whisper in my ear. Her breath danced on my neck and I felt shivers race down my spine. I turned my head slightly into her breath and it caught my ear. God, I wished she would whisper advice to me more often.

"You never know, if you feel it, go for it." She had said.

I went with her and my gut and bet a small stack of twenty-dollar chips. The dealer was amused at my judgment but didn't say anything to attempt to alter my decision. After everyone placed their bets he flipped over the last of the five cards. He gave me another seven. I had a full house. Rosalie leaned in to congratulate me and the shiver began all over again.

"Always trust your gut." She whispered.

We continued to play for a few hours, every once in a while she would lead me to another game. She taught me how to play baccarat and blackjack. I was a little embarrassed that I didn't know how to play black jack. It turned out to be very simple, but I didn't care for it all that much. I had grown used to having to think a bit more. Even Ultimate Texas Hold'em didn't seem as fun as the real thing. I wanted to test my skills in bluffing and see how I would hold up to real poker players.

It came time for the Poker tournament to begin, so we went over to join. Rosalie said she was going to let me play alone and that she felt I could do it. So she bought in as well. I was used to playing her, so I felt like the others would be the real challenge.

The tournament started us at different tables, so I didn't pay much attention to how she was doing. I did better than I had expected. After some time the competition had dwindled. I had won some and lost some, but thankfully my wins were pretty good. I had grown my stack of chips two times over. They kept having players change positions to keep the tables even, but after what felt like forever we were down to one table.

Rosalie had also lasted, and when she joined my table it looked like she had had some pretty great wins too. Our seats were across from each other, only accompanied by two others. I met eyes with just before we resumed playing. I could see in her eyes that this was competitive and that she intended to best me.

One of the men eventually lost and it was down to three of us. The dealer passed out another hand; Rosalie had seemed to give a slight flicker when she looked at her cards. I tried not to show but I got a little excited about my hand too. I had a ten and a jack of spades, and my gut told me to bet, so I bet.

Rosalie bet as well, and the dealer showed two cards. My stomach began to turn when I saw a king and an Ace of spades. I met eyes with Rose when I raised my bet. She cocked her eyebrow and matched me. The dealer flipped the last two cards. I couldn't believe what I saw. I had the Queen of spades.

I raised my bet and was almost all in. Rose slid the rest of her chips in and smirked at me.

"All in, honey." She said so seductively. If I wasn't mistaken, she was toying with me hard. It honestly turned me on. I liked seeing her competitive, she was never like this in private when we played. The other player at the table was all in as well, but he didn't have a lot to loose anymore.

The guy only had a three of a kind Ace; I could see why he assumed he would have us beat. Unfortunately for him, this was not his night. Rosalie stared me down with that same smirk.

"You sure you want to embarrass yourself in front of this gentleman?" She said.

"I think you need to be taken down a peg." I said smugly.

"Show em." She said throwing her cards down. She had a flush. No wonder she thought she had me beat. I smiled as I gently flipped over my cards. I had her bested with my straight flush. I saw her smirk turn to a line. Her eyes met mine after lifting from my indestructible hand on the table. Her brow cocked still as she responded frostily.

"Well, how about that."

I still met her eyes as the dealer announced my win. I slide the chips to me and racked them. If there was one thing that Rosalie Hale did not like, it was losing. She was a little quiet as we walked our way out of the casino. I could tell she was sulking, so I stopped to address it.

"Rosalie, I don't care about the money, do you want it?" I asked.

"Do you really think I was your money?" She asked offended.

"I just want you to be better." I said.

"I just don't like losing, but I suppose that shows just how good of a player and teacher I am. I did make the monster that bested me tonight. I can't wait to crush Jas and Emmett." She said lightening up.

"I am sure that will be ten times better than any amount of money we could win here." I said agreeing.

"Hey, do you want to stop and get a bottle of something for the liquor store? We could celebrate my win with a drink." I questioned.

"That sounds good, but you are buying money bags." She teased.

The night wasn't all serious, we had a great time joking about players and sharing inside jokes before the tournament. She was so natural with me, so different from how she was with the others. As we walked to our bikes she laughed and joked. She braced herself with her hand on my shoulder at one point during a particularly funny observation I made about a guy at our table earlier. The chemistry we shared was natural, not just her. I had to keep reminding myself that she could only be my friend, but I loved every second of her existence.

We stopped at a liquor store on the way out of town, it would not have been my first choice, but how many liquor store look like fine establishments? Not many. I followed my friend into the store; she held the door open for me as we entered. The place looked like a getaway for roaches, and it smelled like it too. We quickly settled on their most expensive bottle of tequila and went to check out. To my utter surprise, the cashier was a stickler for Identification. He looked at my ID very carefully, looking up a couple times to compare the picture to my face.

"There is no way you are twenty-one, I'm not buying it and neither are you." He said gruffly sliding the bottle towards him and away from us. "You might want to check out the sodas, that seems more appropriate."

"You saw her ID, are you obstinate or just stupid?" Rosalie countered matter-of-factly.

"Maybe you are the one who is stupid if you think you are going to pull one over on me." He said folding his arms.

Rosalie placed her palms on the counter and stretched slightly over it with her body. She looked deeply into his eyes with her mouth slightly agape. The look she gave him would have turned me into silly putty. His arms uncrossed as he slowly leaned in just marginally. His harsh demeanor was replaced with an absent expression.

"Listen, you don't think you could just take one more peak at that little ID for me? You'll notice that there is nothing to be suspicious of. I promise it will make you feel good. Don't you want to feel good?" She said biting her lip looking at him in a way that made him blush.

"Erm, sure. Let me see that one more time." He said slowly with a blank tone. I handed the ID to him again. He barely looked at it before he gently held it towards Rose for her to take back. She took it, grabbed the liquor and threw the cash on the counter all in one swift motion. As she turned to walk away she gently pushed my shoulder gesturing for me to walk ahead of her. Just like that, Rosalie had gotten her way.

"How did you do that?" I asked once we were outside.

"That's nothing, its sort of a gift. Beauty is a blessing sometimes, a curse most of the time." She said.

"Can you show me how to do that, or is that a Rosalie thing?" I said knowing that no one would ever be able to pull of those moves like her.

"You really want to know?" She asked stopping to look at me just before we reached the end of the building.

"Yeah." I said not fully understanding what I was in for.

She set down the brown paper bag with the bottle on the sidewalk. Before I knew it she was pressing towards me, the movement naturally had me backing up to the building. Her mouth was just slightly open as her face traveled closer to mine. I could feel her breath on my lips when she stopped. She looked deep into my eyes with an expression that had me intimidated. I had a mix of emotions closing in on me.

"You have to find the point of weakness in others and use it to your advantage. You have to make them feel like you are in control. Tease them with what they could have. Just when they are on the edge, just when they think they might get what they want, you make your request. In that moment, that little sliver of bliss and excitement, they will give you anything you want. Take it with absolute confidence."

She didn't move for what felt like forever. He lips we just a slight move away. In that moment I wanted to be the air between us. I wanted to feel what her lips felt like when I gently brushed mine to hers. How could anyone expect me to remain controlled when she did this? I couldn't bridge the gap between us, and I could feel her lips though. She didn't allow me to, and I could not break her control over me. I was a puppet under her control, and only she could cut the strings.

She let me loose from my trance, she gave me freedom to think for myself again when she back away. I took in a deep breath, and regained my composure. I'm sure I looked every bit as much an idiot as the cashier did not two minutes earlier.

"So that's how you do it. I think my gift is knowing other's weakness, more so than beauty." She said after clearing her voice and looking away from me.

I didn't respond, I hadn't fully regained control over my mind. She told me to follow her and I agreed. We made our way back to my place after that. The drive back was mostly silence; I wondered if she noticed the affect she had on me, I wondered if she knew what I wanted most when she had me in my trance.

We parked at the Cullen house in the garage. We were busy laughing and talking near the bikes for almost a half an hour. I have to admit that I didn't want the night to end. She was so perfect and I just wanted more of her presence. We walked around to the front door but stopped when we saw a familiar sight waiting for us. Kate sat waiting on the front step of the house, a rose in her hand.

* * *

Foot note:

So you got your wish! The Denali are back, and more jealousy is sure to follow. I actually really like the character I have developed for Kate. Next chapter you will really get to see them interact and also how Rosalie deals with it. I will post a new chapter soon, please continue to review for me!


	25. Chapter 25

Author's Note:

Thank you for all of the reviews! I'm glad that most of you seem to be fine with the pace of the story. This chapter is all about Kate, Bella, and one Salty Rosalie. Enjoy ;)

Chapter 25- Why so Much Hate?

"Hey Bella." Kate said standing up to greet me. She held forward the flower for me to take. I reached for it and Kate.

"What are you doing here?" Rosalie asked with slight tension in her voice.

"Its nice to see you too, Rose." She said looking Rosalie up and down.

"Its Rosalie. Why are you here?" Rosalie spat back.

"I came with my sisters to visit your lovely family." She said charmingly.

"Its good to see you Kate. Will you be staying for a while?" I asked.

"For a short while, some of use might stay longer." She said.

"Hopefully your plans are to be here a shorter time?" Rosalie asked. Kate pursed her lips before responding.

"Don't you have something to run of to do? Hair to brush or a car to fix?" Kate said hostilely.

"Why don't you mind your own business there, sparky." Rosalie said getting closer to Kate.

The tension between the two was building. I wasn't sure what had happened to them to make them hate each other, but I was going to witness a fight if I didn't diffuse the situation. Kate had her finger tips' showing little sparks while Rosalie stood strong and stern with her chest out. I pushed my way between them.

"Knock it off!" I said loudly. "I only have a few friends, and I'd like it if they didn't kill each other. Please."

"Fine, as long as sparky can keep her cool." Rosalie said smugly as she walked away and inside.

"She is such a bitch." Kate said after she was inside.

"She is my best friend, so try to be nice about her, ok?" I said a little defensive.

"I'm sorry…it is so nice to see you though." She said hugging me again. "How have you been, beautiful?"

"Erm, I have been hanging in there. Better than I was." I amended.

"Good, glad to hear it." She was awkward now.

She stood with looking down at the ground in thought after her statement; she had her right hand resting on her left bicep. She was fidgeting with the hem of her t-shirt. She was such a confident person it was almost comical to see her like this.

"I was wondering if you might like to hang out this week some, maybe we could hit up Port Angeles for a movie tomorrow night?" She looked up when she finished her thought.

"Sure, that would be fun, I will have to see if Rosalie is ok with watching over my dad for a little bit." I said.

She seemed to perk up when I told her I wanted to go. She was almost bouncing as we walked up the stairs and into the house. I was excited too, I wasn't used to having so many people to call friends. I just hoped that Rose would be ok with it. I didn't want to ask Alice because of her missing out on time with Jas already tonight.

When we walked in we saw the usual scene at the Cullen's, with a couple additions. Emmett and Jasper were playing video games sitting on the floor; Rosalie was reading a magazine on the couch near where Emmett was. Esme entertained the other Denali sisters and a familiar face from my past life, Laurent. The four of them sat at the kitchen table sipping what was probably a very old and expensive bottle of blood.

When the group heard us enter they all simultaneously got up from the table. We came in to greet them, I was a little nervous to see Laurent, given our previous exchange when I was human. Tanya greeted me politely with a gentle hug, Irina gave my hand a dainty shake, and Laurent bowed slightly and gave my hand a kiss.

"Hello, it has been too long, my dear. I see you have changed so much since our last encounter." He said charmingly.

"Erm, yes, it has been an adjustment." I said looking into his faded crimson eyes.

He must have been "vegetarian" for quite some time. My eyes were very much still a bright crimson. I felt slightly uneasy in his presence, but his charm made my nerves calm a little.

"This life is a gift, and it suits you." He said letting my hand go.

"Thank you." I said simply.

"I have been hearing of the trouble you and your family have been having with Victoria. She is a vengeful woman, do not underestimate her." He said changing the subject.

"Have you heard or seen anything new?" I asked to Esme.

"The boys chased her scent out of town the night before last, nothing since then. We think she may have moved on for a time. We hope it is for good." She said answering me.

"Keep your guard up, she is cunning. I wish you well in this." Laurent said comfortingly.

"I will make sure I am careful. Well, it's nice to see you, I'm going to catch up with the others."

I was just happy to be in another room, away from Laurent. I went and sat on the couch at the opposite end from Rosalie. She didn't seem to notice me. So, I just watched the boys play video games. They were really into a game of call of duty when Kate came back in from visiting with Esme and the others. She sat between Rose and I on the couch. If I had to guess, I'd definitely say that she was closer to me though.

"Oh, hey Rose? Do you mind watching over my dad without me tomorrow night? Kate and I made plans."

Rosalie seemed to ignore me for a second, I knew she heard me, but after a moment I wondered if I had imagined myself asking. I almost asked again, but I am glad I didn't. She slowly closed her magazine and carefully placed it neatly on her lap. She sighed and turned her head to look at me.

"Let me see if I understand this correctly. You would like me to play babysitter…for you…while you go on a date with shocky?" She said with acid behind each word.

"Well, we are just going to see a movie. I'll be back before too late, if it's a hassle, I guess we can not go." I said cautiously.

"I'll watch over him, go and enjoy yourself honey. Rosalie is just being childish." Esme said suddenly standing in the doorway leaning on the entry.

"Enjoy your movie Bella, but don't let her drink too much, or it will be a date for sure." Rosalie insinuated Kate's behavior during our visit to Alaska.

Rosalie threw down her magazine and went to her room. I didn't understand why she acted like that sometimes. I saw a different side to her when Kate was around. I just hoped that she would come around. It was tough to have two friends that hated each other.

The next night I had made Charlie his dinner and waited for him to get home. When he got home we had dinner together, well he ate and I pushed food around on my plate. I told him I was going out with a friend to see a movie. He seemed happy about it and that made me happy. He told me he had a game to watch anyways, it seemed to work out perfectly. I left shortly after that.

I met Kate at the Cullen's, she was waiting for me outside already. We took her car, which was different from what I had expected. She drove Tesla, a very nice Tesla. I didn't even understand how to open the door, so I am glad she did it for me.

We made it to the last showing of this really cheesy romantic comedy. The type of movie that any half intelligent person could predict every minute of. The guy met a girl, they fell in love, and the guy messed up but made it just before the girl got onto her plane. The end.

Kate had been a little stiff sitting next to me the whole movie. I felt a lot of tension coming from her direction. It was a bit of a distraction honestly. At one point her hand bumped into mine just slightly, but the way it happened, it made me question if she was trying to hold it. I guess I ruined that for her when I jerked my hand back as a natural response.

After the movie we went for a walk around the downtown area. She asked me a ton of questions about my past and what I was into. She was very charming, and a good flirt. I picked up on a lot of flirting. I wondered if she was naturally like this or if she was trying to be this way.

"You should let me take you to this lake we have up near Denali, its sort of a family secrete. Its in the middle of nowhere really. The view is spectacular there, and it would be even better with you in a bikini. Maybe this summer?" She said.

"Kate, that sounds really nice, but I should tell you something." I said hesitantly.

"You don't wear bikinis?" She said in a joking tone.

"I do, but no. I am sort of into someone else. I don't know if that's where you are going with this. I think you are really cool, and pretty, but I just wouldn't be able to give you want you want." I said carefully.

"It's the Ice queen, yeah?" She said still walking with me.

"Rosalie. I don't know what to do about it, but I can't help it. I know its awful. I'm sorry Kate." I said.

"Its ok, I get it. You know were sort of friends once. That was back after she had just turned."

"What? You and Rosalie, I can't imagine that." I said shocked.

"Its true. I had a pretty big crush on her, who wouldn't. I never told her about it, and when Emmett came into the picture we sort of stopped being friends. I resented her for being with him, and somewhere along the line we stopped being friends. She turned cold to me when I did to her. I probably should have told her I had feelings for her, but I didn't. I wasn't as confident about my attraction to women in those days. Being a vampire was enough of a alternative lifestyle." She laughed.

"I'm sorry about that. I don't resent her being with him, I just feel bad that I even care for her in that way." I said sadly.

"Maybe you should tell her." She said looking up from our steps to meet my eye. I looked at her like she had two heads, how could she suggest that? "What? I mean its better that she knows. Look, I know it's not the 'right' thing to do, probably. She should know though. Maybe she isn't really meant to be with him. What if you two are the real thing? Don't live this life in regret." She finished her thoughts quietly.

"You want me to tell a married woman that I like her?" I asked incredulously.

"She deserves to know." She said defensively.

"I don't think I could live with myself if I caused them trouble, I love Emmett." I said.

"Everything will work out. I'm sure he would suggest the same thing…you know, if the girl you were into wasn't actually his wife." She said.

"I'll think about it." I said trying to change the subject.

The rest of the night was pretty fun, and a lot easier. Kate was a lot of fun to be around when she saw me as just a friend. She was really funny and easy to talk to. We headed back home and she stayed with me at my place when Esme left.

I spent the next day hanging out with Kate and the Cullen's. Rosalie seemed a bit distant the whole time. She kept quiet and only participated in conversation when she was brought up. I felt a lot of tension coming from her all day. I could have sworn I caught her watch Kate and I a few times when we interacted.

It was hard not to be drawn to Kate as a friend. We sort of clicked, but I didn't even once think of her as more than a buddy. I tried to lighten Rosalie up a couple times, but she didn't seem to take the bait. She was happy to just sulk, if I didn't know any better, I would have thought it was her time of the month. I can't imagine what she would actually be like if she was on her period. I am not sure the world could handle a vampire like her with hormones raging.

I tried to give her space for a couple of days. Alice stayed with me over night that night, it was a blessing and a curse. I didn't want to give Rosalie space, I wanted to talk. I just tried my hardest not to bother her so that she could get over what was going on with her. So, in that aspect it helped, I couldn't mess up and push her to talk. On the other hand, I missed her. I missed her so much that almost all of my thoughts were about her.

Even just seconds after I promised myself to not be distracted with her, my mind would trick me into thinking of her again. Alice had danced around the subject a bit, I think she wanted me to feel comfortable with talking to her about it. I didn't want to talk about it, so I avoided it.

It was a Monday, and I had made plans to have Kate over after school. She was going to have dinner with Charlie and I. I had told him a lot about my friend that had just moved here from Alaska. Charlie was as excited to meet her as he could get, which to anyone else, it didn't seem like much.

Rosalie didn't say much to me during school, and I hadn't told her about Kate coming over. In our last period Alice was her normal self. I sat sandwiched between her and Rose. She had most likely seen my plans in her visions. She seemed almost devious about bringing it up.

"So, any plans this evening?" She said with a slightly fake casual tone.

"Erm, well I do actually." I said knowing that Rosalie could hear every word. It made me nervous but also a little bit proud. I could have friends outside of her, especially if she was going to be cold.

"What are you going to do?" Alice asked.

"Well, Kate is coming over for dinner. She is going to help me cook. I told Charlie about her and he wanted to meet her."

I suddenly heard a tiny snap from behind me, out of the corner of my eye I saw that Rosalie had accidently snapped the pencil in her hand while writing. She scurried to grab a new pencil, it seemed like she was trying to act natural. When the bell rang she was the first to leave.

After school, I went by the store and got what we needed to cook. Kate met me at my house shortly afterwards. She helped me cook but made it more fun than usual. She was almost too much to handle with her jokes about the smells of human food and my dad's choices for décor in the house. She was quickly becoming a pretty good friend. I was glad to have her there.

When Charlie got home we had just finished the steaks, and were pulling the potatoes out of the oven. He seemed happy to meet her but was probably more excited about the food. We did our best to look normal with the food, I doubt he would have noticed even if we didn't try. He was so into his food that there wasn't a ton of conversation. After the meal, we did visit a bit though, he asked about her and what she was doing here. She seemed so honest when she answered, I think he liked her.

We eventually said good night and I went upstairs, not before stopping by the bathroom to attempt putting on a little make up and making sure I didn't look like complete death, no pun intended. I walked in my room and was immediately relieved to see Rosalie. She was on the bed but hadn't seemed to notice my arrival. She was reading a book.

"Hey Rose." I said cheerfully.

"hi." She said not looking up from her book. She seemed to be trying to ignore me.

I decided to rearrange some book on my shelf and clean up my room a bit. I noticed that She didn't budge, she didn't even look at me. It hit me that she must have been sulking.

I have to say, she was still very much adorable when she pouted. Suddenly, a huge surge of courage hit me. I walked over to the sulking princess and asked one simple question that would probably end my new life as I knew it;

"Rosalie, can we talk?


	26. Chapter 26

Author's note:

So we can't just go right back to them talking, that would be way to easy. This is a brief chapter with the return of the red headed foe. I want to preface that Jacob is not his normal character in this story. He has a different past and a different relation to the other characters. Thanks for the reviews, please continue to give me feedback. Next chapter will be back to the girls. Enjoy!

Chapter 26- Fool Me Once

(two days earlier)

It was a dark night and the streets were wet. People holding drinks and wearing beads flooded the streets. It was just another night for the French Quarter of New Orleans. Full of drunk college buddies and women celebrating anything from soon to be marriages to divorces.

A figure blended into the crowd, but to any sober person, she would have stood out. Victoria walked the familiar streets looking for a bar she knew all too well. It had been years since she had walked those streets, to her surprise, not much has changed. It was a similar scene, just with a different fashion.

Finally, she ducked into a bar and took off her hood. She had resigned to keep a low profile while walking the streets, even though most who walked with her would not remember the night. She approached the bar and ordered a drink she used to get there, so long ago, almost in different life.

She knew what she came for, and she saw him. Across the bar was an old friend, morphed into a foe. He pretended he didn't noticed her, but she knew he had, how could anyone miss that fire she wore on her head? She took her drink and approached her target.

"Hello old friend." She said slyly.

"You have some nerve to come back." He said without turning his attention from his drink.

"You know you missed me, I bet you haven't had it as good as me since." She said into his ear.

"I know I've not been stabbed in the back since. Why are you here Vickie?" He said gruffly.

"I missed you, my life has had some recent changes. I needed a familiar face." She said flirting.

"You come here to tear what's left of my heart and take that too?" He said downing the rest of his drink. He put his glass down harshly, pushed his stool back, and got up. He was a tall man with a face that looked like it hadn't been shaved is a few days. He had a head full of messy styled hair that was jet black. His clothes looked to be stretch over his biceps and his chest from his built-up physique. He looked to be no older than twenty-five or twenty-six, but his face wore his emotions like he had lived a century.

"Jacob. Please. I need you." She said pleading with him. She tore at what was left of his heart.

"I'm not your man anymore, you don't need me." He said walking out.

She downed her drink and followed after him. When she got out of the bar she had trouble catching his scent. She wasn't as good of a tracker as James, and the streets and so many smells. She lifted her head and took in a deep breath, she caught his scent faintly in the left direction. She chased after it but it was difficult to keep up with. She followed the scent for a long time, eventually out of town and into the country area. Once they were a mile or so outside of town she saw his torn clothes. She kept up just barely with him, he had always been so fast.

Finally, she noticed the scent get stronger, she was gaining on him. Eventually she found him, he was living in a small cabin in the bayou by himself. She could smell no other human, vampire or wolf scents. She approached the door and knocked, knowing he already knew she was there.

"I told you to leave me alone." She stated from inside the house. The door swung open, he had only pants on.

"I told you that I need you." She said pushing her way into the house.

"Come right on in." He said rolling his eyes.

"Why do you need me?" He said going to grab a beer from the refrigerator.

"Like I said, a lot has changed. James is dead for one." She said

"How does that involve me, if you are looking for sympathy, I hated the guy. You have come to the wrong place." He said sitting down on the couch, he popped the tab on the can and took a drink.

"What you may not know is that he hurt me. I wished I could have come back to you, but he was a tracker. He would have killed you. He and his family kept me there. He kept me locked up for weeks at a time to keep me weak." She said sitting close to him on the couch, she rested her head on his shoulder. She put her hand on his chest softly.

"I'm sorry he hurt you, but he is dead. It's over. He can't do that again. I had no idea that's what it was like."

"It was torture for years. I wished I had you. He had just promised so much, and we had been distant." She said sadly letting her head fall slightly.

"I had always just thought you couldn't handle our differences, that you left me because he was a vampire."

"He promised me it would be better for you." She said sadly. He lifted her chin gently to look into her eyes.

"You were what I wanted. I knew what I was getting into."

"I'm just so afraid." She said flinching back.

"He is gone, he can't hurt you anymore. Maybe you could stick around here for a bit. It might not be too late for us." He said comfortingly. His touch exterior had softened.

"His sister is still there. She thinks I killed him, she is going to find me and keep me there again. She will torture me again." She said clinging to him harder.

"You don't have to worry, we can fix this. I can go and take care of it." He said.

"No. I won't let you do it alone. She has a mate, but he is away. It would be perfect to go now and take her. I want her to feel what I felt." She said deviously.

"We need to stake her out. Let's be smart about this." He said.

"I am so scared." She said.

"Who is his sister, have I known her before?" He asked.

"Her name is Bella, she is cruel and dangerous, just like James."

"Well, we will make sure that this Bella can never hurt you, I mean that. She is as good as dead." He said with assurance in his voice.


	27. Chapter 27

Author's Note:

Well, well, well...

So you decided to come back after the cliff hanger and a next chapter that left you with no resolve. Good. I'm glad you are still reading. Here it is, the continuation of the conversation with Bella and Rosalie. I hope you enjoy where it is taken, and if you are upset at the end, don't worry...everything should work out in the end. Thank you for the reviews, please leave me a few more to read! Enjoy.

Chapter 27- Kissed by a Rose

"I'm sure you can say anything you need to say to your new friend, Kate." Rosalie said from behind her book.

"I need to talk to you." I said walking over to her. I grabbed the book out from her hands and closed it. "Why are you avoiding me?"

"You just seem to prefer the company of a person I happen to hate. I figure you don't really need me now that you are stuck up her ass all the time." She said with an attitude.

I sat down on the bed in front of her to talk. She sat up and put her back against the head board. She crossed her arms and her legs. I sat with enough distance to make her comfortable.

"Why does it bother you that we are friends?" I asked sincerely.

"Don't treat me like an idiot, I know you two are more than friends, and it's just a little weird to me."

"What does it matter what we are?" I said trying to get more out of her.

She was quiet for a minute, she didn't look at me. I could tell she was thinking, she was hesitating and holding back. She looked back up to me and into my eyes. My nerves were going crazy, my heart would have been beating out of my chest if I were human.

"I don't know. I just thought…It doesn't matter. I don't like it, ok?" She answered defensively.

"I like you Rosalie." I said looking into her eyes. I couldn't tell if she understood what I meant.

"I like you too, I think I'm worried that you will forget about me." She said making herself vulnerable. She didn't like being vulnerable, I hardly ever saw her like this. I could tell she didn't understand what I meant when I told her I liked her. She must have thought I meant I enjoyed her friendship.

This was it, this was my chance to make her understand. I still had doubts within myself, I didn't know what confession would change, or if it would change things at all. I felt like I might lose everything with my next words.

I thought about what I should say, how I should explain it. I couldn't find the words, I couldn't think of how to make her understand. Everything I thought seemed to come up short. I feared her not knowing in that moment more than her reaction. I felt courage swell up in me and I knew no words could explain better than action.

As she sat there with her legs cross I turned to face her, I put my left hand on the bed to move towards her and my right on the other side of her. I moved my left hand off the bed to grab her from behind her head. My face grew closer to hers than it had ever been. My lips were so close I could almost feel her.

I sensed her body stiffen, her face held still. I saw her mouth part just slightly with anticipation. I felt a small breath leave her lips and dance across mine.

I had only had the resolve to watch her lips as I had moved in, but I made myself turn my attention to her eyes. I looked her deep into her eyes as hers met mine. She seemed nervous but her eyes were hungry.

I moved my attention back to her lips and before I could move she met mine. She touched my lips so gently and so passionately that I moved mine without thought. She tasted better than I could have imagined, like a heavenly mix of candy, watermelon and berries. I was lost in her, and I didn't want to be found.

My body moved closer to hers and hers had opened in a welcome. I was on my knees between her legs on the bed. My stature towered over her, but my free hands clasped onto her face. I was determined to live in that moment as long as I could. She seemed to embrace my affection, her hands touched my back. Our mouths danced like they had been made to be together.

I was in another world, my head spun with everything that was happening. My thoughts were silent and my body was moving on its own. I felt high, like I had just been allowed to breathe again and my head was still light. I slowed my movements to bring myself back down to earth. I broke my lips from hers and rested my forehead to her. Her eyes were still closed when I opened mine, and for a brief moment I thought this was all there was. Only her and I alive in this world, no one else could exist.

Her composure returned and she flinched back slightly. I felt her hands fall from their home on my back and her body become distant. I lifted my head feeling the tension in her. She didn't dare look me in the eyes, she only looked to my bedroom floor. Her face was blank.

I pushed myself back to where I had been seated before the passionate exchange but remained quiet. We sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. She did not move her attention from the floor in the silence, and with every passing minute I felt my certain doom come closer. My hopes were quickly being crushed under the veil of silence that had filled the room.

Finally, she spoke.

"I can never allow that to happen again." She said still focused on the same spot on my floor.

"I'm sorry… you had to understand how I felt…you had to know." I said choking on my words.

I felt so stupid, not so much for what I did, but for not knowing what to say. I wished I could tell her everything I felt. I wished I could explain that I respected her and cared for her, that I wanted her to be happy. I wanted to explain to her that I could make her happy. I wished I could say what I felt in the most tactful way, but I couldn't manage to get out the right words.

"I felt something there, I think you did too." I said with mock confidence.

She finally turned to look at me. Her face was so sad, so severe. I would be willing to bet my life that if she were human she would have had a tear. She looked into my eyes but cast her face down to the pattern of the blanket on my bed.

"Bella, I am married." She said.

"Do you not feel anything, is it one sided?" I asked fearing the answer.

"I am married." She said again blankly.

"Am I crazy? I felt it, you kissed me back. If you didn't mean it then just tell me. I feel like I am going out of my mind."

"It doesn't matter what I meant, it doesn't matter what I feel. I don't know what I feel…" She said standing up. She put her hands on her head in frustration. "This can never happen again."

"I am so sorry…I…I don't want to hurt you and I don't want to ruin anything, but you had to know. I needed you to know. I am so sorry." I rambled trying to make it better.

She was frozen in place, I could tell her mind was spinning. She looked blankly at the distant wall as she decided what to do. She finally let her arms fall to her side. She grabbed her jacket and moved towards the window. She didn't turn to face me.

"I need to go." She said as she paused.

"I just needed you to know, it's never been anyone but you." I said seriously.

She held her pause just long enough to consider my words. Then she was gone. In her place were only curtains blowing in the wind. I stared at them, wishing with everything in me that I could turn back time. Wishing I could have stopped her. Wishing so many things that could never be. My room had never felt so lonely.


	28. Chapter 28

Author's Note:

Shall we give this another look? Maybe this time from Rosalie's POV. I think its worth it to know what she has been thinking and feeling. I'm sorry to have broken your hearts! It needs to happen to give their story depth. Some of your reviews had my cracking up, I have to admit. Thanks for the feedback. Here we go with Rose's POV. Enjoy :)

Chapter 28- Take Two

(Rosalie's POV)

I made it to the Swan house just before Charlie did. I resolved to wait outside for them to be done with their visit. I told myself that I had control over myself, but I was wrong. It only took about five minutes of not knowing how the dinner was going to climb up into her room. I quietly paced listen to the conversation, or lack of. They barely talked.

Finally, they finished eating and some conversation took place. Charlie seemed to want to know about her, he asked her what I could only assume were normal questions to ask someone who wanted to date their daughter. I was steaming every time I heard her answer all angelic like. She was no angel and she certainly wasn't right for Bella.

I heard Bella walk Kate out, I just knew she was happy. Kate must have felt accomplished, she probably earned a kiss or two as well. I couldn't help but feel angry. I had never felt like this before, so angry but worried for Bella as well. I was so unfamiliar to this, and I hated the feeling.

I scrambled to find something to read when Bella approached the room. I wanted to seem aloof, like I couldn't care any less about what she had just done. I didn't need her to know it bothered me.

I felt my body stiffen. I was nervous that she would have forgotten about my plans to stay over tonight. That seemed dumb, she couldn't have forgotten, why did she not come straight to her room? She seemed to be in her bathroom for a while. I had been so focused on listening that I had dropped the book in my lap.

I heard her leave the bathroom and immediately open the door to her room. I swung up the book to look like I hadn't heard her. I casually flipped a page when she entered. I didn't dare look at her, my pride wouldn't let me.

"Hey Rose." She said cheerfully.

"Hi." I answered trying to seem casual.

She seemed a little deflated after my response. I wondered if my mood was taking her off her 'love' high. I have to admit that made me a little happy for a brief second, but seeing her anxious took hat away quickly. I almost responded but I decided not to. I just pretended to read while she moved about her room. She was organizing and cleaning, but it all just looked like busy work.

I wanted to talk to her, but I was confused about my emotions. I was still angry, hurt and anxious. I was so worried she would be with Kate and forget about me. I had worked myself up, going over the way I would react if she confronted me about this. I had had complete arguments in my mind, thinking of what I would say if she responded one way versus another. Why did I do that? Because I am a woman. I knew my rational was off, but I am not the best at staying grounded with my emotions after hyping myself up.

"Rosalie, can we talk?" She said softly. 'Ok, here we go' I thought to myself.

"I'm sure you can say anything you need to say to your new friend, Kate." I snapped back a little too rehearsed.

"I need to talk to you." She said as she came closer to me. She reached out and grabbed the book I held, she was so serious that I didn't fight her on it.

"Why are you avoiding me?" She asked.

"You just seem to prefer the company of a person I happen to hate. I figure you don't really need me now that you are stuck up her ass all the time." I said letting my emotions get the best of me. Way to stay calm Rose.

She decided to sit down near me on my side of the bed. I folded my legs and sat up my straight again the back of the bed. I wasn't feeling like being vulnerable, so every inch of distance made me feel better. I wanted her to see that.

"Why does it bother you that we are friends?" She asked fidgeting with her fingers. Now I had gone and made her nervous.

"Don't treat me like an idiot, I know you two are more than friends, and it's just a little weird to me." I said furious. I didn't get what she saw in Kate. Ol' Sparky herself was not the best example of self-control. Did Bella not remember me pulling her off of her when they were drunk that one night?

"What does it matter what we are?" She said. I was at a loss for a come back.

She had dared to ask a question that would shake me to my core. In that moment, I'm not sure she even knew what she had done. Why did it matter to me? I wasn't afraid of her ignoring me because of her friendship to Alice, or anyone else for that matter. Why was Kate so much of a threat to me?

I wasn't prepared to answer that. I wasn't prepared to think about that. I was so lost and so unsure of my life that I couldn't answer. I thought I knew who I was, and I thought I knew what I wanted. She had awoken something in me, and I had been afraid to answer to it. I knew we had something, but whatever it was, it was unfamiliar to me.

"I don't know. I just thought…It doesn't matter. I don't like it, ok?" I answered, not wanting to think about this anymore. In all of my daydreaming about this, I hadn't seen this scenario.

"I like you Rosalie." She said looking in my eyes. I could tell she was just trying to reassure me.

"I like you too, I think I'm worried that you will forget about me." I was being more honest than I had wanted to be.

I watched for her reaction, I didn't know what to expect. I had not been this open with anyone besides her in a very long time. I had told her more about me than anyone else in my life. This was nothing compared to the things I had disclosed to her before, but to me this was harder. This involved her, she could decide I was pathetic and that she would be better off without me.

She sat there fidgeting for a moment. My nerves were getting the best of me in the wait for her response. She lowered her hands and paused. I was sure she was about to tell me that she couldn't handle someone who was needy, cold and…fucked up.

She moved over top of me, her hands straddled the bed on each side of me. I felt anxious and oddly excited from the gesture. My mind went still, and my only focus became her. She held a power over me suddenly, a strange ability to still me and stimulate me at the same time. Her hand reached for the back of my head, I felt her fingers intertwine in my hair. Suddenly her lips were closing in on mine, but she stopped.

Why did she stop, why did she hold this control over me, tease me and then not give me this relief? I wanted more than anything to complete her movement. I sighed in slight frustration, her lip twitched as my breath touched her. I bridged the gap between us and our lips met.

I cannot explain what came over me, a rush of adrenaline perhaps. I was intoxicated by our movement and grasping for more of it. Her body came closer to mine, my legs had opened in sync to let her in. I instinctively reached for her hips, but my hands found their home on her lower back instead.

Her other hand held my cheek, her touch was everything I craved and more. It was like I was seeing color for the first time, the experience was so different from anything I had ever known.

She pulled away, but didn't leave me. She rested her head on mine, and for a moment I felt like this was how life was supposed to be. I felt like I was complete.

It was then that reality confronted me again. What had I done? I had just betrayed my morals, my husband and in turn myself. What kind of person was I? I didn't know myself at all anymore. I had just allowed myself to feel those things, to do those things, with someone who was not my Emmett. Not only that, I had done this with a trusted friend, a girl.

I pulled back from her with all of the intense emotions that crushed me. I felt too much guilt, I didn't know how to handle it. I needed it all to stop. My body didn't move though, I remain still while Bella climbed off of her position over me.

"I can never allow that to happen again." I said finally forcing myself to confront what had just happened.

"I'm sorry… you had to understand how I felt…you had to know." She said sounding a little distraught. It hurt me to know she was upset, but I could do nothing for her. I couldn't comfort her after what just happened. I had already done too much.

"I felt something there, I think you did too." She said with a bit of courage showing.

She knew me all too well. She was my best friend, she had a talent for understanding me. I wanted her so much in those moments that were now gone. My world had been shattered. The sad thing was that even though I was confused, hurt, guilty and broken, she was pulling for me.

She had single handedly shown me what I wanted most, but I could not have it. I couldn't allow anyone else to feel betrayed or hurt. Too many things in my life had been broken, I couldn't let the man that stood beside me be a part of this.

"Bella, I am married." I said.

"Do you not feel anything, is it one sided?" She pressed.

"I am married." I said, it was the only thing I had strength of will to say.

"Am I crazy? I felt it, you kissed me back. If you didn't mean it then just tell me. I feel like I am going out of my mind."

"It doesn't matter what I meant, it doesn't matter what I feel. I don't know what I feel…" I said trying to keep her from pushing me. I stood up, not knowing how to make things better. There was too much to feel.

"This can never happen again." I said building courage within myself.

"I am so sorry…I…I don't want to hurt you and I don't want to ruin anything, but you had to know. I needed you to know. I am so sorry." She almost sounded desperate.

I was stuck between what I wanted to do, what I felt and what I needed to do. I heard her voice when she apologized, it was too much to bear in all of this. I had to leave.

I grabbed my jacket and went for the window.

"I need to go." I said before leaving.

"I just needed you to know, it's never been anyone but you." She said with a soft confidence in her voice.

I was gone from her after that. I ran through the woods for a time, I needed to collect my thoughts. My mind was a mess of thoughts coming and going, mostly about what I had done. I was unraveling at every seam.

I wondered if Emmett could ever know, he deserved to know. He had been there for me in times that I did not deserve him. He had a gentle heart and the strength to deal with my insecurities. I had been grateful to have him, to know him. So why did I feel more from a kiss with her, than in eighty years with him?

The time I was from, it was so different. Girls didn't do those things, not with other girls. Friends didn't passionately make out with friends. They definitely didn't do it when they were married to a man. How could I have allowed myself to act like that? How could I let my life be turned around by a girl that I didn't even notice months prior?

It had to have been our close friendship. Things must have gotten muddled along the way, maybe I had issues with intimacy and it showed in some freakish form. I loved Emmett, he was my rock. I had neglected him and that couldn't happen anymore. I needed to feel that with him.

I ran back to my home, I knew I could find him there. When I got there, I busted in the door and listened for him. I could hear his music in his room. I flew up the stairs and into his door. He was startled when I closed the door quickly.

"Babe? What are you…" he asked dumbly. He had been reading comics on his bed.

I rushed over to him, and climbed up the bed over top of him. I unbuttoned his shirt and spread it open to feel his chest. He was so firm, so different from what I had just experienced. I crashed my lips on his, grabbing the open sides of his shirt in my fists, pulling him to sit up. He indulged for a minute, but quickly regained his consciousness. He pushed me off of him gently.

"Babe, babe…" He said almost out of breath.

"What? Just kiss me..." I said with a breathy voice.

"Babe, I…" he said struggling calm me. "I just, I just need to…"

"What?" I said still kissing him over and over again.

He pushed me away from him with both of his palms. He was holding me at arm's length as he spoke. I felt like a three-year-old being pulled back from a toy they wanted. It was more than a little embarrassing.

"We need to talk, I just need us to talk." He said.

Fuck.


	29. Chapter 29

Author's note:

Thank you again for all of the reviews! I am a pretty terrible speller and sometimes spellcheck doesn't solve everything, so I apologize for any errors. This chapter is shorter, but some of the coming ones are longer. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 29- One of These Things is Not Like the Other

(Bella's POV)

I was alone in my room, watching the breeze play with the curtains in my window. My head hurt and my heart was wounded. I felt so stupid for what I did. I had to go and mess everything up. I wondered if I could make it better. Then I thought, maybe I could? Maybe I could find the right words to make it all seem like some stupid joke, or something. I would think of what to say.

I needed to find her to make it better, so I got up and flew out the window. I hit the ground but didn't even pause to think before I ran. I chased after her, trying to find her scent. She was so faint, and I wasn't very good at this. I had never had to do this.

I was running as fast as I could, racing through the woods. I followed her scent until I couldn't decipher it anymore. I was far out from anything I knew. Nothing around me seemed to be familiar and I had lost her smell. I was so focused on getting to her that I hadn't kept track of time, nor direction.

I decided to back track, I soon caught her scent again, but I was coming back the way I had come from. I still wasn't sure where I was or where I needed to go. I just needed to find her. The woods were so dark and cold that had I not been a vampire, I would have been in trouble.

Not too far from where I decided to turn around I caught a different scent, a terrible odor. The smell assaulted my nose, it wrinkled in disgust. The scent grew stronger the quicker I ran. The hairs on my arms began to stand, something in me sensed danger. Against everything in me, I kept running towards the scent. I could not give up, no matter what. I could not let this go, and I could not let her go.

My adrenaline spiked when I saw something flicker through the trees ahead of me. It was so slight, so quick, I wasn't sure what I saw. It almost looked like a set of reflected lights. My pace slowed, and then it stopped. My instincts told me something was not right, I was not safe. I felt fear coarse through me as I scanned the woods for what my body knew was there.

I smelled that awful scent stronger than ever, though I could not detect where it was. It was everywhere, all around me. I turned around in circles, trying to remain on the defense, ready for whatever this was. It was then that I heard a low bone rattling growl.

Before I had time to process where it came from I saw movement to my right, my head flashed in that direction. My body repositioned to prepare for this, whatever this was. I saw two yellow eyes in the trees, another low growl accompanied them as they grew closer.

My stance was strong, I tried to remain confident. I was a vampire, I was indestructible. I could handle this animal, I was a supernatural being.

White teeth accompanied the yellow eyes coming towards me. The beast emerged from the trees and I could suddenly see his full stature. He was three or four times larger than anything I had seen of his kind. I was overcome with fear, I knew who I was, but my instincts told me to run. I slowly began to back away from my place.

Suddenly the world went black. I could still hear the growls and I could feel a tight embrace on me. I struggled against the force of the embrace. I grabbed a hold of what felt like a jacket and threw my attacker, and attempted to clear the bag from my head. Before I could do anything, I felt the weight of the beast tackle me to the ground.

I struggled against the weight, I scratched and grabbed at him. I was no match for him, he had bested me and I knew it. I thought I was unstoppable, impenetrable, but I was wrong. My hands were behind my back and I was being tied up. I heard a voice, familiar and musical. It was a woman, and she was talking to the beast. I found out I wasn't the only supernatural being in the forest, and I certainly wasn't the strongest.


	30. Chapter 30

Author's Note:

Back to Rosalie! Please continue to give me feedback, I do appreciate it! Hope you all enjoy this!

Chapter 30- The Talk

(Rosalie's POV)

What the fuck? What the actual fuck? He has been trying to come onto me, trying to flirt with me, complaining about how distant we are. Then, I make a move on him, I throw myself at him and I get this? Did the universe have it out for me?

First, I have a friend of mine all over me, wanting me like crazy, and then I have a husband who was denying me. This universe was playing a cruel joke on me. It's like it was teasing me for trying to make a right decision. Maybe it was just Karma for my reaction to Bella earlier.

"Rose, are you there?" He said waving his right hand in front of my face. I guess I was glossed over. I leaned off of his other hand, he had still been holding me off of him. I regained what focus I had to offer, which was not a lot.

"Yeah." I answered shaking my head.

"I don't know how to talk to you about all this. I…I don't even know where to start." He said sounding confused.

"Why don't just spill it." I said frustrated.

He got up from the bed, making the distance between us greater. He paced the room for a minute, his hand on his chin, he looked to be thinking. Finally, he turned to me.

"What are we Rose? Do you even know who I am anymore?" He said motioning his hands back and forth between us.

"You are my husband, Emmett Cullen. I have known you for about eighty years." I said.

"Do you know why you want to be with me? Do you know why you love me? Do you love me?" He asked.

"Of course, I love you." I said defensively.

"Why do you love me?" He asked quickly.

"What kind of question is that? Why are you even asking me this?" I asked upset.

"Just answer me Rose." He said with a slightly stern tone to his voice.

I thought for a moment about the things I like about him, the things that stuck out to me. I thought about our past, about how he had dealt with me when I couldn't be touched. All the years I could not be as close as he deserved. I thought about how his humor and kindness lifted me out of my despair.

"I love you because you are kind, because after I rescued you, you rescued me. I haven't been alone since I found you. You have been there for me and I have always respected your patience with me." I said sincerely.

"Am I it for you?" He asked sadly.

"What does that even mean?" I asked with disgust.

"When you think forever, when you think about happiness, love, passion, everything you could ever want, am I that for you? Or are you just content with me?" He asked kneeling next to the bed, putting his hands-on mine.

I couldn't answer him. I had wanted him to be that, I had thought he was it. I would have been fine to carry on with him, living in this limbo for the rest of my existence. My life had been turned upside down, I didn't know what I wanted anymore. He had offered me a nice life with him. He would treat me well, always be there for me. So why was that not enough?

Why did I feel more in a kiss than in all of our intimate moments? How did a girl do this to me? Suddenly this kind and gentle man was not all I could hope for, and I felt shame about it. He had trusted me with his heart and his future. I couldn't just shatter all he had given to me.

"I think we both know the answer." He said softly. He let his head fall so that I could not see his eyes.

"Emmett, I love you." I said with honesty. Unfortunately, that was not enough.

"I think on some level we have both always known. We have been a product of friendship and convenience." He said lifting his head. He placed his right hand on my cheek, he touched me softly. "You saved my life. You were there for me, but I know I am not it for you."

My emotions were getting to be too much to handle. I loved him, I did. I felt as though my life was falling apart. What I had known, for eighty years, was crumbling. I turned my head away slightly. My face worn pain and sadness.

"Em, I…I don't know…" was all I managed to get out.

"I think we both deserve to be happy. If you can honestly tell me that I am all that you want, that I am it for you, then so be it. I am all yours. I don't think you can, and I don't think I can either." He said getting up to sit next to me on the bed.

"Are we hopeless?" I asked.

"Maybe as lovers and spouses, but not as friends." He said gently. "I know you are a complete package. Look at you; smart, successful, caring, hot…but you will never quite fit with me. If you thought about it, you would know we were only together because we were both new and lonely vampires. Don't you think we both deserve to have it all with someone, not just settle because it's easy?"

"Maybe so. I don't want to lose you though. I don't want this to ruin our family either." I said scared of the changes to come.

"It will take some getting used to, but it doesn't have to change anything, aside from our marriage." He answered my fears.

"I wish you were it for me. I wish I could make myself only want what you have to give, you are a great guy Em. You deserve a great woman." I said sincerely.

"I'm sure she's out there, just don't kill her when I find her because you are jealous or something. I'm sure you will have a hunk on your arms anyways." He joked.

"I'm sure." I said feeling awkward. If only he knew what had happened an hour ago, he might not be so sure. I didn't have the ability to really even examine that thought at the moment.

"Like I said, I'm always here for you Rose."

"I think I need to get away for a few days. I just need to clear my head." I said getting up.

"Of course." He said awkwardly.

I was almost through the door when he stopped me with one last thought.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to realize." He said.

I didn't answer him. I was a bit taken back that he thinks that this was his fault. I guess it was a little bit of both of us, but he had thought this was all him. Thinks were a mess, I needed to get away. I went straight to my room and packed a small bag. I moved so quickly around my room that to the average eye I was probably a blur. I heard light footsteps coming up the stairs and I knew what was about to happen. I let out a quiet sigh just before the knock at my door.

"Come in Alice." I said blankly.

She looked to be sheepish, and then I saw her sympathetic frown. She had most likely heard every word of Emmett and mine's talk. That or she had seen it, it didn't matter, she knew.

"Hey Rose, going away for a little vacation?" She did her best to be light.

"Something like that." I said as I zipped up my bag.

She came in closer to be able to speak in a low whisper. What she had to say, she didn't want anyone to hear but me.

"I saw what happened." She said in a low whisper.

"You don't need to whisper about it, he knows we are broken up." I said in a normal voice. She shushed me quickly.

"Not that, stupid. I saw what happened earlier. I wanted to see if you needed to go somewhere and talk about it?" She whispered again.

"That was a mistake. I should have never let myself…I can never let myself do that again. It's not what you think." I said in a defensive hushed voice.

"I'm not judging you, Rose. I am here for you if you need to figure things out. No matter if are gay, bisexual, or whatever you are, you can talk to me." She said.

"I am not gay!" I said in anger, almost too loud to be a whisper.

"Ok, just know I am here if you do need to talk. About anything." She said after a minute.

I pushed past her to get to the door. I couldn't handle any more of this today. I just needed to be to myself for a little while.

"Just don't hurt her, Rose. Whatever you figure out." She said as I left.

I took my seventy-one Dodge Hemi Cuda, because where ever I was going, I wanted to get there fast. When I got in the driver's seat I was reminded of when I first bought it. I had gone with Emmett to buy the car off the lot. I had read about them and wanted to get one of my own. I had already figured out exactly which specs and color I wanted.

Looking back, Emmett looked so cheesy in his tight button up, with hat tacky orange sweater on top. He also chooses to wear patterned flared pants and boots with thick soles. Throw in the side burns, the glasses and slightly shaggy but styled hair, you had a poster boy for the seventies. I remembered it like it had happened only a few weeks before.

 _The summer time heat was blazing and everyone was out about. Emmett came with me to buy my new car, he was pretty excited for me. He also wanted to go by and get himself a ford Bronco, he said that was more his type._

 _The sales guy was immediately out to greet us, he all but ignored me, so maybe it would be more accurate to say he greeted Emmett. I had a few questions about the car, but the sales guy seemed to not want to really answer me. He kept talking to Emmett, only giving me short answers. I finally figured out that he just didn't take me seriously, he assumed Emmett wanted the car._

 _At this point I got mad, but I didn't yell or make a fuss. I asked if I could test drive the car. Emmett knew the guy was being an ass, but he must have wanted to see my reaction. He knew I could handle myself._

 _He went to go get the keys, Emmett immediately started laughing after he left. He pointed out how mad I was and said that this should be good. He loved seeing me mad._

 _"You gonna let your lady drive this when you have it?" He asked Emmett while handing me the keys._

 _"Oh, some days." He said in his booming voice._

 _We all got in the car, the sales guy sat in the passenger seat and Em in the back. I took it slow in the beginning, took my turns really gentle. I found a parking lot that seemed pretty empty and turned into it. I hit the gas and let it fly. I did need to test it out, you know, to see if it was worth it._

 _"hey, hey, hey…take it easy!" He said cautiously._

 _I took those turns flying. The guy with us was grabbing at the side door, bracing himself on the dash. I swerved out onto the street, got back up to speed and then some. I started weaving in and out of cars making my way back to the dealership. He was shouting the whole way. Emmett said the look on my face was pure joy._

 _We got back to where we had started and I slammed on my brakes, I left two small tire tracks in their lot. The guy fumbled for the handle and got out as fast as he could. His hair piece had gone slightly crooked, but he didn't even notice._

 _"You are crazy woman! Crazy!" He shouted._

 _"Hmm…that was a little sluggish, don't you think honey? Maybe my little feet just can't push it enough, us women have a tough time with these, you know?" I said to him in a mock innocence. I flashed a smile to Emmett._

 _The man was so offended he refused to sell us the car. It wasn't hard to get another associate to sell to us, not when I put down a few stacks of cash onto the table. Maybe if that guy hadn't been such a misogynistic asshole he would have gotten the commission._

 _A few days later I was pumping gas at a station when I noticed a girl in a convertible at the next pump over. She was very pretty, for any day's standards. I remember her pulling down her sunglasses down to the tip of her nose. She gave me a crooked smile and a wink. I never really thought about it until now. I think I had always assumed she had checked out my new car. If I really look back and think it through, I'm not sure she even noticed the car._

I remember feeling awkward still, even when I didn't know she was checking me out, something inside me reacted. When men did that, I had never reacted with more than a passing snide comment. Funny, how events in your life lead up to things that you couldn't even imagine.


	31. Chapter 31

Author's Note:

Thank you for the notes and comments! Just to answer or address some of them: Yes, yes, yes, I know this is taking a while. This story is more complicated than a simple "We fell for each other, it was love at first site" type of story. There are a lot of so to speak balls being juggled. A lot of moving parts to explain and let play out, in order to do this story justice. I don't feel that it would be realistic to expect them to just be together quickly and it be a satisfying story that way. We have the Kate/Bella, the Bella/Edward, Bella/Rosalie, and Rosalie/Emmett dynamics to work through. Not to mention Bella coming to understand and live in her new body as a vampire and Rosalie doing the same as a less than straight woman.

Real life isn't as simple as cutting out others that you may care about in order to be with someone that you love, life is more complicated than that. Why should a story about love and growth be so simple? Rosalie is not a complete heroine, nor is she a villain. She is a woman with insecurities, passions and pride. She also is a dedicated and stubborn woman who would do anything for someone she truly cares about. Love doesn't come easy for her(Especially a love deemed sinful in her time) but when she falls, she falls hard.

Bella is also a complex woman, though in the original Twilight books, I feel, she is made out to be simple. I want to do her justice in this, and for me to attempt to do that I need her to have personal growth as well. She will not always forgive as easy, she wont be a doormat forever. She will develop and become a confident woman who begins to understand what she deserves. Please remember the hold that Edward had on her, that may rear its ugly head once again.

This is a slow burn but when it happens, when those little kindles catch fire, it will have been worth it. Hang in there, and enjoy the ride. :)

* * *

Chapter 31- In Another Life

(Rosalie's POV)

I drove all through the night, at first, I didn't know where I wanted to go. I just drive east. By the time I made it to Lincoln, Nebraska I knew where my car was taking me. I was going home.

It took me only a day and a half to get there, that's the advantage of being a vampire…you don't sleep. I didn't know what I wanted to do when I got there, I just wanted something familiar. I spent most of the drive listening to my favorite songs playlist. It was filled with everything from big band to Rihanna. I'd say a good piece of the mix was Fleetwood Mac. I always took comfort in Stevie Nicks.

It was mid-day and thankfully I was in the middle of the country. The roads were pretty much clear, so just like the night before, I drove well over the speed limit. I couldn't help but think while on the road. I thought about Emmett, I thought about my family, about what had happened, about Bella and about my life and what had lead me to this point.

I had driven this road many times before, but never alone. I remember one time driving across the country, on this very highway with Alice in the front seat. We had just gotten into Yale and decided to drive the distance. I think the boys decided to drive a different route to hunt in places they hadn't before. It was a nice girls trip if I remember right.

 _It was 1987, and Full house had just begun its successful run on TV. Alice sat with her feet up in my little red T-top Corvette. We were playing rick Springfield loud and she was reading a magazine bouncing her head along to the music._

 _"God! I love Jasper, but I would turn him in a heartbeat. He is such a stud!" Alice said turning the magazine page to show me his picture. I shrugged my shoulders._

 _"He's ok." I said nonchalantly._

 _"He's ok? He is a dreamboat." She said dramatically._

 _"He's not really my type." I said._

 _"He is every girl's type. You would have to be blind to not see that." She said teasing. "Who is your type then?"_

 _I shrugged again. I didn't really know, I never really paid much attention to the flavors of the month. They were all the same to me._

 _"I don't really know." I said honestly._

 _"Rosalie Hale, sometimes I don't even understand you. It's a wonder that you are even with a man at all." She said teasing._

 _"What do you mean?" I asked taken off guard._

 _"I'm just saying that I'm surprised you even noticed Emmett with how blind you seem to be to the male species. You might as well have been a spinster librarian." She laughed._

 _"I am not blind to men, I just don't think most of them are that special." I said defensively._

 _"Ever the optimist." She said with a smile._

 _"You know it." I teased back._

As the memory played in my head I was reminded of something that happened later on the next year while at Yale. I was studying Physics in a male dominated program. I remember having a couple classes with a fellow woman studying in my major.

 _She and I hadn't really spoken more than a couple words to each other in passing. We did get assigned a project that required collaboration mid-semester though. This made it so that we had to speak more to each other. I didn't think much of it, but I suppose she did. She offered to come to my place to work on it with me._

 _I had agreed, not seeing it as an abnormal thing. I don't really think it was meant to be either. We got along pretty well though, and by the end of the project I almost considered her a friend. By the end of the semester we were meeting up for coffee a couple times a week._

 _We hadn't really divulged into our personal stories or information by that point. We talked more so about philosophy, culture, and books. I wouldn't have considered her a close friend, more of a friendly acquaintance._

 _From what I had gathered about her, she seemed to be very progressive. We did have different view on certain things, as she was a product of a different era. I was more conservative in some way in my views of the family and of feminism. She did challenge me and open my mind to things I had not thought of. I was grateful for our talks._

 _I remember on our last day of class she got my attention to talk to her after class. She wanted to go out for coffee on break. I told her it would have to be that night, I knew my family wanted to return home for the break. So, we met up, that night at our usual spot._

 _She gave me a gift, it was a first edition of a book I had mentioned I had always wanted to read, but had never gotten around to. I was so taken back by the gift, it meant a lot. She went on to tell me that she had developed feelings for me. She asked me if after break we could continue to meet, but maybe it could be for dinner._

 _I wasn't sure what to say. I did enjoy our conversation, but how could she even begin to assume that I would want that? I told her that I didn't sway that direction, and that I was in fact married. She seemed so surprised by that. She told me that she had always assumed I was gay. Furthermore, she assumed I was into her._

 _That really threw me for a loop. I asked her why she assumed that, a little offended at the notion. She explained that she had a knack for telling, and that I gave her all the signs. She apologized for assuming, but we never met again. We just saw each other in passing, almost as if we had never gotten coffee or talked at all. It made me sad in a way to lose those conversations._

I wondered to myself, is it possible that even people that were almost strangers to me knew this secret? I couldn't actually be gay though. It must have been a fluke, a heightened state of emotion. Hale's don't do things like that.

I shook my head in an effort to clear my mind from those thoughts. I tried my hardest to mindlessly drive the rest of the way to New York. It had taken me a grand total of thirty-five hours from start to finish. I made excellent time with my cuda taking me there.

The streets were almost unrecognizable. I hadn't been back here since shortly after my change. That memory was painful enough to keep me away for almost eighty years. I drove the city looking for something familiar. Finally, I came across the old downtown. Once upon a time this had been the center of the busy town.

I saw a couple businesses that were still there after all this time. That made me smile to myself. The memories of my human life were fuzzy to me, like watching an old black and white movie. When I tried really hard, the memories slowly came to me.

I remember walking down the streets of the city around Christmas, old cars driving the streets beside us. My dad took me window shopping every Christmas time. We used to admire the lights and the displays. I was so little then, a little girl with blonde spirals in her long hair. We used to walk hand in hand.

I remember setting my sites on a toy car one Christmas. My mother absolutely disapproved. I love my dolls, but I wanted a shiny toy car to pretend to drive fast. My father surprised me with it on Christmas morning, my mother was stunned. He always wanted me to be happy. That was a different time, a different life.

I found my old street, the street that lead to the house I grew up in. I could see myself walking along the street, an innocent teenage girl with her friends. I walked the same route home from school every day of my young life. I wondered to myself whatever happened to my best friends. I never kept up with them after my transition.

I drove slowly as I knew my house was coming up. The street looked so similar to how it had so many years ago. A row of large houses and neatly kept lawns. The only huge difference were the types of cars parked outside. The American dream was unchanging here.

There it appeared, not much had changed with it. The landscape was more modern, more refined. The house wore the same colors as it did before. A deep red with dark shutters. I always loved sitting out on the wrap around porch. Our home was one of status in that time. Each owner since must have liked it the way it was.

I parked in the spot across the street from my old home. As a sat there I thought hard about my previous life. I thought harder about it than I had in years, the ending had been too hard for me. I had never wanted to revisit my old life much, it always reminded me of the end. I tried to think of my life before the end. I tried to remember what it was like for me to be a child growing up, a teen and a young woman.

I remembered breaking my arm climbing on the tree out front, it had made my mother so mad every time I climbed trees. She had always been so hard on me, but it never slowed me down. I was a free-spirited child, I suppose not much had changed.

I remembered meeting my father at the door, always so excited to see him when he came home from work. He usually had a treat for me. I remembered growing up, but never losing that excitement to see him. He had always been my biggest fan.

I remembered being put through hours of piano lessons by the mean old Ms. Hedding in the front parlor. My mother wanted me to be a wife who could entertain guests and her husband. Too bad those skills never brought Ms. Hedding a husband, I'm not sure any man could get past the natural snarl she wore for her expression.

I tried to remember my high school years. I went to an all-girls school, it was very prestigious. I remembered fighting my mother about going, I wanted to go to public school. I didn't have patience for the stupid girls of that school. My father sided with my mother on the matter. As I tried to remember these things, I was hit with a memory that I hadn't thought of, that I had all but forgotten. It was as if a whole piece of my life came rushing back to me.

 _It was my freshman year at the prep school. It wasn't easy for me to make friends at first. Girls can be cruel and I was still in my ugly duckling stage. I was lucky enough to have the nicest girl in the school sit next to me in my last class of the day._

 _I remembered the first time we met, I had dropped my pencil on the ground during class. It had rolled closer to her foot, and to my surprise she retrieved it for me. She handed me the pencil with a dimpled smile. I noticed her for the first time then. She had dark brown hair, almost black. Little freckles spanned across her nose and cheeks._

 _That was all it took for us to begin our friendship. We clicked so easily, and from that point on, she made my life better. I remember I always wanted to be around her. She was so funny, so clever, and so smart. We were the best of friends up through the beginning of my junior year._

I furrowed my brow as the memories became more difficult to recall. Thought most of our relationship had been so wonderful, a stain of pain clouded it somehow. I pressed forward in my mind to retrieve the rest of the story.

 _My mother was not a big fan of the girl, I had her over many times. My father always liked her, he thought we were a good pair. He liked seeing me happy._

 _As we entered our junior year, she and I had become quite popular. We no longer needed each other the same way, but that didn't hurt our friendship. I still adored our time together and she did too. Somewhere along the line we became even closer. We used to go to movies together and stay the night with each other._

 _I remember that all changed one night. She was staying with me at my family's home. We had been up to our usual. Talking gossip and drinking cokes on my bed in my room. She was talking about a boy she knew from a neighboring boys school and how he had strung her along when he really wanted to date another girl._

 _"I just wish I had this with a boy." She said._

 _"What do you mean?" I said feeling slightly nervous._

 _"You know, like you and I. It's so easy to talk to you, and we are so close. I wish I had this with a boy. Not that I don't love having this with you. We are always going to be best friends. Sometimes I just wish you were a boy, it would make it all so much easier." She said laying her head on my shoulder. I sat there, staring straight ahead. Then it occurred to me, I wanted that too._

 _"What if you could?" I said still staring ahead. Her head lifted from my shoulder, she was looking at me._

 _"What do you mean?" She laughed. I turned to look in her eyes._

 _"What if we could have that? No one would have to know." I said softly._

 _We stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. Then it happened, the end of our relationship. My focus shifted from her eyes to her lips. Her lips were parted slightly, she seemed to be caught in the same trance as me. I moved to meet her lips. Our lips met for just a brief second before her hands pushed me back and off of her. She stood up and faced me, that sweet dimpled smile was a distant memory. Her face was nothing but anger._

 _"What's wrong with you, you pervert." She said and then walked out. Out of my room, my house and my life._

 _The next day at school she ignored me at every turn. She had asked the teacher to change seats. Many girls at school whispered about me in the halls. They would point and giggle, most wouldn't look me in the eyes._

I didn't have to endure that for long, only one more year of school. After some time, it did fade, but no girl ever wanted to be my friend after that. I shut out any emotionally attachment I had to her after all that happened. I focused my attention on school and eventually finding a suitable husband.

I thought that life would be a distant memory if I found a husband and had a family. No one would ever question me anymore. I never did tell my mother about the whole thing. I never told anyone about it actually. That memory had been so painful I had locked it away somewhere deep within myself.

I thought about Bella next. My mind seemed to migrate back to her. I wondered what it would have been like to have her pick that pencil up freshman year. To have her flash me a smile and befriend me. I questioned if my mother would have liked her, if my father would have. I wondered if things would have been different if it were her that I kissed in that moment of confusion and desire.

Would she have fought for me, would she have lived with me as a secret in that day? Just so we could be together? I knew the answer, she would have. She would have done just about anything to make me happy. She was that kind of person. What had I done?

She deserved someone better than me. I was a mess, I proud excuse of a Woman. It was sad that my seventeen-year-old human self was wiser about my own sexuality than the well-educated, more experienced, almost hundred-year-old self.

I had been so blind to her too. How did I not realize what was going on between us? I acted like an idiot, a stupid girl with a stupid crush. I got the girl and I threw it away.

I knew the answer. I was too afraid to give up something comfortable for something too good to be true. I had felt more with her, I had felt more for her. The stakes were high, and I was scared.

I sat there in my car across from my home for hours. The sun eventually went down and I had to move. I couldn't stay there forever. Where would I go? I had ruined my chance back in Forks, I left a path of destruction there. I wasn't ready to face Emmett, or my family. There was no way I could face her. Not yet anyway. I decided to rent a room at the nearest hotel.

I would figure out what I wanted to do after I cleaned up a bit. After a quick hunt, I took a shower. It was counterproductive to shower and then hunt, I wasn't the cleanest of predators. I went out to the liquor store to get a couple bottles of their best whiskey. I sat on the bed and turned on the tv, I thought maybe I could drown my sorrows with the bottle I had.

About three-quarters of the way through the bottle I began to realize that nothing could drown it out. I started to think about her again. I thought about the way she made me feel, about the times we shared. I realized I missed her. I could swear that my chest physically hurt in that moment. I lost all of my resolve after that. I staggered over to my bag to find my cell phone. I turned it on, it had been off the whole way here. I hadn't been in the mood to accept any calls.

I had seventy-nine text messages and twenty-seven voicemails. I didn't listen but went to call Bella. I had to tell her I was sorry, I had to tell her that I did care about her that way. That we could figure things out. I had the courage to do so thanks to my trusted whiskey.

Her phone rang over and over, eventually going to her voicemail. I listened to her awkward message, she sounded adorable. I heard the beep and it was my turn.

"Hey Bella, I…I need to talk to you. I am really sorry." I said after a long pause. My words were more slurred than I would have hoped for.

Just as I hung up the phone I had a knock at the door. I didn't even have time to answer before the door was kicked in. I fell backwards in shock, my threshold for suspense was not as great intoxicated. A small familiar figure walked through the door. I instantly knew the trouble I was in when I saw Alice's face.

She walked straight over to me and picked me up by the collar of my shirt and stood me up. Jasper was in the doorway behind her. She gave me a look up and down and then let me go.

"Why haven't you answered your phone?" She asked angrily.

"I didn't feel like talking." I said taking another drink. I noticed her face told me she was still expecting a better answer. I shrugged. "It was off."

"Do you care about anyone but yourself, Rose?" She asked taking the bottle from my hand.

"If you are just here to insult me, I am doing a good enough job of that." I said.

"You know Rose, while you have been off drinking and sulking, your friend has gone missing." She said sounding a mix of afraid and angry.

"What friend?" I said still nonchalant.

"They took her Rose." She said worried. "And I can't see her. Rose, I can't find her in my visions."

Time seemed to slow as she said those words. Fear is an interesting thing. When you think you know what your worst fears are, the universe has got you beat. My worst fears had come true before I had a chance to nightmare them into existence. The worst part of the nightmare your fears create are the 'what if's.' What if I had not left that night? What if she wasn't alone? The answers to those questions become a personal hell for you to live in.

Rosalie hale, welcome to Hell.


	32. Chapter 32

Author's Note:

*Warning: This is a little dark. There is some torture in this chapter. Its not too bad, but definitely darker than the original books. We move back to Bella and what is happening with her. I hope you enjoy, thanks for the feedback!

Chapter 32-

(Bella's POV)

The world was black. It felt like it was black forever, and then a day more. My hands were bound by something I could not break and I was in the trunk of a car. It must have been an old car, there was no liner to the trunk. I was on metal and that made the ride far less comfortable. The car smelled a little like rust, grease, and old rubber. Mostly it smelled like wet dog though. I could barely hear anything for most of the trip. Whoever drove had the music very loud, it was uncomfortable to say the least.

I couldn't scream because the bag on my head had some sort of cord or chain around it. The chain was placed over my mouth, keeping me biting on it. I tried to chew my hardest, but nothing gave it.

We stopped a few times, I would get a few moments of peace. In those moments, I thought mostly of Rose. I hoped that wherever she was, that she was OK. I hoped that no one had gotten to her like they did me. I thought about our kiss and the way she left. I wished I could see her again.

Those moments were too short though, and abruptly taken back over with fear and noise. Eventually, we got to the place my captures wanted to be. They left the car for a bit, but return to get me a little while later. I was dragged inside what I can only assume was a house. Down a flight of stairs and into a musty basement. Then the world stopped being black. The first thing I saw was the fiery red hair of Victoria.

They had me bound with chains to a metal chair. Nothing was around me, nothing within reach. The chair was bolted to the floor. There was a bucket of water in the far corner of the room. Well, I guess they had thought this through.

"Hello there." She said dramatically.

"Fuck you." I said feeling courageous.

"Ah, you are a feisty one, aren't you?" She said mocking me.

A large man with jet black hair leaning against the wall in the corner. He didn't react to me, he only stared. I could smell the awful scent heavily in the room. I knew he was the source of the wet dog odor. Victoria seemed to notice me eyeing him.

"Jacob, dear, would you please run out to the shed and grab me the things I talked about?" She asked. He nodded and went up the stairs.

"I have waiting too long for this. I have dreamed about this, constructing and deconstructing this in my head. I fantasied about this every day since you took my James." She said with a look of severity.

"I took no one, you are crazy. He attacked me!" I said. She threw a hand over my mouth to hush me. Her face was only a few inches from mine.

"I know exactly who you are, and I know exactly what happened." She said close to my face. "Your mate took what mattered most from me. I want him to feel every ounce of the pain I feel. I want to be able to show him how I tortured you. I want to see it in his eyes when he knows he could not save you. I want him to find your lifeless body later, as I did with James's burned corpse."

I saw nothing but darkness in her eyes. I knew she meant every word. There would be no stopping her, no convincing her. She moved away from me and across the room. She took off her jacket and cracked her spine. It seemed as though she was getting ready for a fight. She had her eyes closed as she stretched her neck and popped her knuckles.

More fear came over me than I had ever experienced. I could see a video camera set up across the room and I knew this was the stage. I was about to experience everything she said. This was it for me.

"I am not Edward's mate!" I said in desperation. I struggled against my chains, screaming at her in anger. "He won't give a damn about what you do to me."

She stood with her left side towards me, she only turned her head to me. She was listening to me, considering what I said.

"These are lies." She said with a snarl.

"Have you smelled him at all in your hunt for me? He is gone, he left me a while ago." I said. Then a funny thought occurred to me. I laughed darkly out loud.

"What is it?" She asked angrily.

"This is all for nothing. It's going to mean nothing to him. So much effort…That must suck for you." I said.

"We'll see about that. If it does nothing to him, then I still will have had the pleasure of finishing James's hunt and killing your Edward." She said with a smile.

I hoped she had not found him. He had broken my heart and left me in my time of greatest need, but he didn't deserve this. I still cared for him and I would never want this for him. I wanted the best for him.

Jacob was back with a portable generator and jumper cables. The cables were a little different from your average car battery type. They had a modified end that looked as though it could plug into an outlet. Jacob through down the cables and grabbed the bucket of water. He set it down in front of me and unchained one of my legs free from the chair. I immediately kicked him in the jaw. This sent him back on to his rear.

He got up quickly and gave me a look of disgust. He watched me as he wiped his lip but went back to his work at my feet after that. He managed to secure my leg from kicking him anymore, it took him two hands to hold me though. Before I knew it, my foot was in the bucket of water and he was re chaining my leg to the chair leg.

He went back to the generator and cables and plugged in the cables, started the generator and smiled. I could tell he wasn't sure that it would work right away. I put the pieces of the puzzle of terror that was about to happen. This was going to hurt.

"So, Bella, I want you to tell me whose fault this is." She said behind the camera.

"It's your own damn fault, Victoria." I said looking into the camera.

She was determined and angry, she walked over to grab the cables quickly. She walked over to me in an almost strut, staring me down, threatening me to say another word. I shrugged, trying my hardest to remain strong for whoever would see this. Suddenly I felt a surge of pain flow through my body. I felt like my body was exploding from the inside out.

My teeth clinched and my hands were in a firm grasp of the chair. I couldn't move my leg to get it out of the bucket, I couldn't do anything. Every inch of my body screamed for it to stop. All I was able to control was my mind. My eyes were fixated on Victoria devious smile. She watched me for a minute before Jacob turned off the generator.

My body instantly relaxed. The pain of the experience was still very much with me. My eyes were heavy and my jaw was slack. I didn't have the capability to remain stoic. A small bit of drool had escaped my mouth. That was the most painful experience I had ever had. I was surprised I was still in one piece.

Fear and pain was all I could feel. I feared not for myself, though I would have been wise to. I feared for Rosalie. I knew how hurt and broken she would be if she saw this. Even after everything that happened, I knew she would be haunted by this. I feared for her sanity most of all.

I was beginning to learn that no matter what you may want in life, it's going to give you what it wants to. I had shown my hand, laid all of my chips on the table, and this was what the universe gave me. Rosalie had taken what was left of my heart after Edward had broken me and she began to piece it together. That changed when she broken what I thought was beginning to heal.

I couldn't blame her for her decision, I knew her circumstances. However, no matter what how understandable or logical it was, it still hurt. Logic doesn't heal wounds. Understanding her choice and her fears didn't help to sooth mine. Still, I couldn't bring myself to blame her for my pain. I couldn't bring myself to hate her for leaving me, for making me weak and vulnerable to this.

I had gone after her, and Victoria after me. All of my chips had been played and I had lost. I was done for, nothing left to lose.

"Now, let's try this again." She said pulling the cables out from the water and twirling them in the air. "Whose fault is this? Who is your mate?"

I could only mumble in response. She rushed over to my body, not liking my posture she grabbed me by the hair.

"Speak up!" She shouted.

"Whoa, hey Vickie, what does her mate have to do with this?" Jacob came over to argue with her.

She snapped the snarl off her face as she turned to him. She changed her face completely when she faced him. She looked like a scared and vulnerable girl. She was a horrible actress, how was he believing this?

"Baby, he had a chance to help me. I escaped once, but he brought me back to them. He made me go back to her and James. I want him to suffer too." She said playing him like an old guitar. He shrugged and went back to his spot. He seemed a little cautious still.

If I had the strength to question what she said, I would have. I had no idea what she told this man to get him to help, but it worked. He must have been naive, blinded by love…or just an idiot. I mumbled trying to protest her story. She still held my head up by my hair and now I had her attention again.

"What was that?" She said.

I mumbled again, this time looking her in the eyes. She jerked my head back, causing my neck to crane uncomfortably.

"Louder!" She shouted at me. I closed my eyes and willed myself to speak clearly.

"I said…fuck you." Sounding exhausted, spit coming out of my mouth with each word. She dropped my head and threw the cables into the water. In the next instant, I heard the generator start back up and it was hell on earth again.


	33. Chapter 33

Author's Note:

So I see most of you are still with me after that bit of darkness! Good. I had some feedback relating to the vampire strength in this story. I guess in my head I see the chains as being super thick, almost as thick as the ones used for boats and such. I know they can break and uproot trees and kill large animals, so they are very strong creatures, but I was trying to think of something that might be difficult to break for her. That was my best answer. She is still very strong though :). Thank you for that feedback, and all of the other comments! I have written the next chapter after this and I'm pretty excited about it, so I figured I'd post another to help get us there! Enjoy!

Chapter 33- Race Against Time

(Rosalie's POV)

I almost completely sobered up in my fear for her. I started to get up to leave, with nothing but determination in my mind. I had to try to find her. I had to get to her. Jasper moved in front of the door, I pushed him hard, causing him to stagger, breaking the door frame. He grabbed onto me and held me tight. I looked down to my arm, examining what was halting my progress. His firm grip on my left arm had to go. In one fluid motion, I grabbed his hand with my right and yanked him forward. This cause him to lose his balance and flip forward.

I didn't even look back, I was now just out of the room, but he had quickly advanced towards me. I jolted forward when he had grabbed both of my lower legs in a tackle. I hit the ground, struggling against him as his grasp held tight to my legs. He quickly gained control over me. Before I knew it, he was carrying me over his shoulder back into the room. I beat on his back and shouted obscenities, but neither did anything to change his mind. I wasn't thinking, I just needed to move, I didn't know how much time I had.

"Rosalie, you need to be smart about this. You need to calm down. We need your help, have you talked to her?" She hounded me.

"No! Not since the night before last! When did you see her last?" I said still in Jasper's grip.

"Oh no." She said looking to the ground.

"What is it? What is it Alice?" I said sternly.

"I assumed you two ran off at first. I didn't see either of you or Emmett at school that day. Jasper only knew that he went hunting, I assumed you two went to the river again or something. It wasn't until later that I saw a vision of you driving in Nebraska. You had made a choice to come here." She explained.

"She wasn't at school that day?" I asked upset.

"No, I thought you would have known. I only followed you here because I was worried about you two. Eventually, I saw that you were alone." She added.

"Have you tried to catch a scent, find a direction for her? Is her car gone?" I asked all the obvious questions. My mind was running frantic.

"Of course, we tried. Her scent leads into the woods, it is faint. Carlisle followed it with Esme while we came to get you. There is something you should know." She seemed afraid to continue.

"What Alice, just spit it out for god's sake." I said angry.

"We picked up another scent where hers intersects. It's that of a shifter wolf. It's so strong, but Carlisle thinks he can smell Victoria there too. It's so hard to tell with the wolf scent there." She said worried.

"We have to go, we have to get moving! We have to find that bitch!" I said struggling again in Jasper's grip.

"Rose, we will, we are waiting to hear from Carlisle. He is talking to the Denali's. He thinks Laurent will know where she could go."

"We can't just sit here! We have to look, we have to move. I can't live with myself if she…" I couldn't finish my sentence. This was my fault, this was all my fault. I couldn't handle the thought of her getting hurt.

"I know Rose, it's not easy to sit and wait. I am trying my hardest to see something! I can't get a vision because of that stupid mutt." She said crossing her arms and turning away from me. She was beating herself up about all this too.

"Listen, we can find her. I have faith this is going to work out, you just have to trust that she is going to be ok." Jasper said letting me go. He walked over to Alice and put his hand on her shoulder. He was doing his best to comfort her. "I'm going to go call Carlisle and see if he has an update."

Alice was still upset when he left, but nothing would help aside from finding her. She tried to regain her composure before turning back to face me. I think she felt she had to be the strong one. She knew how attached Bella and I were.

I went to sit on the bed, I felt so helpless. I was sitting with my head in my hands when she sat down next to me.

"I know she means a lot to you, she is my friend too." She said trying to comfort me.

"No. She is not my friend." I said lifting my head to look at her. "She is more than that, and I think you know that."

"I knew how she felt about you. I knew that you and Emmett…" She stopped herself from continuing that thought.

"She kissed me. She told me how she felt and she kissed me, and I just left." I swallowed hard trying to state what I had already been feeling, trying to get out the thing that I knew everyone was thinking. "This is all my fault. If I would have never left…" I buried my head in my hands again. Alice touched my shoulder to try to console me.

"This is Victoria's fault. Try to remember that. When we find her, you don't hold back, ok?" She said in a serious tone.

We sat there in silence for a moment, I could feel her thinking over everything. She was trying to see the future, trying to find her still. I looked up to her, she had a blank stare with a slight furrow to her brow. She was torturing herself trying to find her in her visions. I was torturing myself with the possibilities of where she could be. My mind transitioned to her, and to what was going on between us.

It was so abstract, but almost tangible to me too. It was as if we had some sort of confused relationship that was different from anyone else. We were not friends, but we definitely were not lovers. I suppose that's what you get when you are married and develop feelings for someone else. I questioned how I could let myself do that.

When I thought about her and our relationship, it was so different from what Emmett and I had. Emmett and I were comfortable, safe and stagnant. One could argue that we just needed to work on us, but it wasn't like that. It's like I had once saw him as a partner because of his qualities, but not because of an actual desire for him. I had picked him like I would pick a school or a car. I chose him because he was an option, and because he best suited my needs at the time.

I think he had done that with me too. It's not that we were cold to each other, we were friends and we trusted one another. I felt safe with him, but I would never saw I felt passion with him. I had assumed that my past is what conditioned me to be that way, that my lot in life was to just reach a level of ease with a man, but that would be it, just a comfortable existence with little excitement.

I dove into projects, hobbies and education. I used other passions to fulfill my life, and I was ok with that. I didn't know what was on the other side of life. Bella though, she was the other side. Since she had clumsily fell into my life, it had been exciting and fulfilling just being around her.

She was so ordinary to many, but everything about her had me asking to know more. I wanted to be around her, I wanted to do things for her, I wanted to make her laugh and feel things around me. I had been so blind to what had been budding inside me. I had lived in the same way for almost my entire vampire existence, but she changed that.

She scared me, she took me from everything I knew. I was at war with myself. I didn't know what I should do. Should I follow my heart and give into these feelings that were so natural for me, but so against everything I had been taught and condition to believe in my former life?

"Hey Alice?" I said breaking the silence, taking myself out of my head. She came back from her deep thoughts as well.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever felt torn between what you want and what you have been taught was right?" I asked hoping to be more cryptic than I actually was.

She thought for a moment but answered me with complete confidence.

"I think, that if there is something you want, you should go for it. Though our life can be very long, we only get one. It would be better to be happy than to waste that life worrying about what others may think, or what society has told you."

"What if I am wrong? I mean what if I try and I end up hurting someone I care about?" I asked worried.

"I think that you are fortunate to have some pretty incredible people in your life. I know that everyone would support you if it meant your happiness. Even Emmett." She said knowingly.

"What if I am wrong?" I asked. She thought before answering my question.

"You know, I have known for a long time that you and Em were not mates. I never said anything, because well, that wasn't my place, but also because you did need each other. You gave each other what you both needed for that time. I always knew that one day, one of you would find the right person." She said putting her hand on top of mine. "When we find her, don't be stupid Rose. Don't let anything get in the way of what you know is real."

"Wow, ok then." I said a little defensively. I was a little shocked by her forwardness, but I shouldn't have been. It was Alice after all.

Jasper came in the door in a rush, he had finished his talk with Carlisle.

"Ok, so we have some leads. Victoria has a place up in the wilderness of the North-West Territory, one in the city of Chicago and one just outside of Fort Wayne in Texas. Laurent also mentioned that she used to be with a shifter Wolf that resides outside of New Orleans. Now, she could be any of these places, and maybe even more. My money is on one of the more secluded places. Most likely Texas, up north or Louisiana." He explained as though he were about to prepare a strategy for war.

"Did he have a guess on which one? Does Laurent know more than what you have said?" I said.

"No, he hasn't been with her in a while, he doesn't know. Carlisle, Esme and Tanya are going to try Texas. Kate, Irina and Emmett are going to head up north. I think we should head to Louisiana, we are not too far compared to them." He stated persuasively.

"Alice, I need you to think. I need you to try to see what happens in each of our paths. Which one finds her?" I asked desperately.

"I'm trying. I can't see everything clearly, just pieces. I think Texas is a bust. I see an empty small house with a barn. I can see Carlisle and Esme upset in the house, but it doesn't seem like she is there. I can't see the other two places, I'm sorry." She said with worry on her face.

"Try harder damnit!" I shouted at her upset.

"They don't know the location of the place up north yet, I can only see them asking a tribe in the area about her. I only see them searching for the place."

"What about Louisiana?" I said upset. She was stalling, I could see her living out her visions in her head. "Alice, what about Louisiana?" I pressed harder.

She closed her eyes for a minute, but open them suddenly with fear. She turned to look at me.

"It's blocked. Its Louisiana!" She said.

Before she had finished the last word, I was up and out the door. I moved so suddenly that no one would have even thought to stop me. No one would stop me. I was in my car and racing out of Rochester faster than I had left the last I time I needed to get out of this town.

I drove at very dangerous speeds, weaving in and out of traffic on every road and highway. I hadn't even bothered to play music. Nothing would slow me down or take my attention away from getting to her. I wasn't sure how much time I had, but I had to save her.

My nerves were unraveling the closer and closer I got. Uncertainty is a bitch. I faced not knowing if she was still cared, if she was still alive, or still the same Bella that asked for me to wait. The Bella I left alone to be taken.

Alice had been calling me for hours, I could only assume they were trailing me. I knew I had a good lead on them though. I didn't need help to get her out of there, I was a strong and fast woman with more motivation than anyone to kill that ginger bitch.

Finally, I grew tired of hearing that ridiculous ringtone Alice had set on my phone for her calls. There are only so many times you can hear "Isn't She Lovely" and before you want to ram your car into the closest building. I grabbed my phone from the passenger seat to answer.

"What Alice?" I said sharply.

"You need to wait for us! Slow down and wait for us. I don't know what to expect and you can't go getting yourself killed." She pleaded.

"I'll think about it." I said slightly sassy and then ended the call.

There was no way in hell that I was letting her go through whatever she was going through for one second longer than I had to. I was only about an hour away from her and that was too much already. I had been driving so fast, and taking as little gas breaks as I could. I didn't realize I was almost out of gas already. I wanted to get there, I couldn't stop again.

I pushed my car until the last drop, but finally she gave in to exhaustion. I was out of gas, putting to the side of the road. I hit my steering wheel a few times, bending one side of it slightly. I gave out a good scream when my car had finally stopped. I would have to come back for it later, the rest would be on foot. In a flash, I was out and running. My senses were swirling, trying to sniff out something as I ran. I just needed something. I needed to catch any clue I could to know she was there.

I finally smelled the wolf, it hit me like a brick as I ran. Other scents are so hard to detect over that smell, and your impulse is to refrain from breathing when it's around. To a vampire it is the most god-awful scent, but I took it in, every particle, trying to smell her.

I caught another scent, it was Victoria. That ginger haired snake had been around more than my Bella. I felt the venom pool in my mouth the closer I got. I couldn't be far; the wolf stench had grown into an unbearable fog and Victoria only helped to accentuate it with her own smell. Finally, I found it, I found her scent. It was so subtle in that mess of odor that anyone could miss it, but not me. I pushed my body to go faster, I pushed myself harder than I ever had.

The land had gone from thick woods to a marsh in almost no time. I had to trudge my way through water and mud more and more the closer I got. The last half mile was mostly swimming, or attempts to swim. Thick debris held me back most of the way. Finally, a more stable land appeared. When I use the term stable, I use that loosely. I was caked in mud the rest of the way.

About another mile up I found it. It was in a dingy old house in the middle of a think marsh. Almost as if it were on its own island. The swap had buried this place so that no own could find it. Only one small muddy road let to the driveway. I couldn't imagine that anyone knew this place existed.

I wanted to burst into the place and take out anyone in my path. I knew that was a horrible plan. I knew I could take the ginger, but I didn't know if I could with a wolf chomping at me. I walked about the backside of the house quickly looking for a strategy. I knew the swim I had taken would have helped me with my own scent, but not completely. I was thankful now for the mud that clung to my body, even though it was permeated with wolf scent.

This was the only time in my life I could ever be thankful to smell this, and to smell like this. Hopefully it would be enough to give me stealth in getting in the house. I pushed up a window that had been left slightly open in the back of the house. I climbed in as quietly as possible, the hair on the back of my neck stood up with my nerves going crazy. I stayed there for just a brief second, trying to listen for any sound I could take in.

I heard a small whine coming from below me. She was in the basement. I moved a little too quickly to get down there, making a small creak in the floor. I froze in place, I hadn't even gotten out of the bedroom before giving myself away. I hoped with everything in me that it was somehow missed by the captures. Still, I braced myself to fight. No one came, and after a minute I decided they may have not heard it. So, I moved forward towards her, eventually making it to the basement door.

As gently as I possibly could, I turned the door handle and place my left hand on the wood to brace it. I opened it as gingerly as possible. I crept as quietly as possible down the stairs, eventually getting to where I could see some of the floor below. I paused and waited to hear more. I needed to know where they were if I stood a chance in defending myself and her.

I heard nothing.

So, I moved a little more, and saw her, first I saw her feet and legs chained to a chair. Then with the next step I could see her waist and her hands chained behind her back. Finally, I could see her whole body. Her head was covered with a bag, slightly slouched forward. I feared for the worst, I knew she was indestructible, aside from a few known tricks to eliminate the vampire race. That didn't stop my fears from running wild. What had they done to her?


	34. Chapter 34

Okay, so, thank you for your amazing reviews, i think you guys are really going to like this one (i hope). I want to clarify, i have decided that her power is going to be different in this story. This chapter is where you guys first get a glimpse of it, so let me know what you think about it. I hope you guys enjoy, give me your feed back on this chapter, but also her power. Thank you!

Chapter 34 - I need a drink

(Rosalie's POV)

I rushed over to see her without thinking of the danger of my action. I didn't look around me, I should have checked my surroundings. I got the bag off her head quickly and scooped her face into my hands. She was still with me. Her eyes took a moment to register who I was. I was so happy to see her looking into my eyes, she seemed to smile back. If she were human she would have had tears accompanying her smile. Before I could rip off the gag in her mouth her face turned to horror. I immediately looked to where her eyes were behind me.

Victoria was there, I didn't have time to get up before she grabbed my head of hair. She threw me back and off of Bella, standing between us. She had thoroughly pissed me off by doing that. I came at her quickly, throwing punches, each one of them being blocked or dodged. That is, except for one. I finally hit her square across the jaw. The blow had thrown her head back to the left, but she had recovered quickly. She used her hand to pop her jaw back into place. This bitch was tougher than she looked.

She looked above her and gave a big shove off the ground, latching onto the pipes running along the ceiling of the basement. With a tug she broke one off, landing back in the spot she had just left. Water rushed out of the broken pipeline, the floor became a slippery mess. I had to find my own weapon, though none were around me.

I moved backwards as she charged towards me. She was swinging the pipe back and forth, with enough force to crack a tree. I ducked and dodged every throw. I was being backed into a corner, afraid that one hit would take my head off. I looked for other options and then I saw it. Some loose chains were only a little distance away. The problem was that the ginger lunatic was in my way. I quickly came up with a plan and executed it.

When she swung what she had assumed would be her final throw I ducked and slide forward between her legs in one fluid motion. I just barely reached the chains with my right hand stretch out, grabbed them and twisted to see a pipe crashing in towards my face.

I just missed it by rolling onto my back. This time when she swung I met her with a thick chain stretched like a bridge between my hands, it provided a good shield but I knew I could do better than just block her. I gave a quick wave to my body, pushing off of my back and landing on my feet.

Water was quickly filling the basement floor, it was almost up over the sole of my shoes. That hardly slowed me down. The next time she swung for me I blocked the hit with my left forearm and simultaneously threw a blow with the chains in my right. The chains wrapped around her neck and I jerked the chains towards the ground. She flew forward into the dirty basement water.

I got on top of her holding both ends of the chains. I could move the chains through her just as easily as I could move a hot knife through butter. I was just about to pull hard on them, I was just about to end her when I heard a large body moving through the house over me. In no time, a large man was landing in the basement floor front of the entrance, as if he skipped all of the stairs all together. He was focused on me, his body shaking all over, fists balled and teeth showing. He was holding a large knife in his fist but he dropped that on the step when he moved forward.

He charged towards me, changing form midair, landing on me and knocking me off of the red headed vampire. I did my best to defend myself against him. Hold him back and off of me, his teeth chomping at me. I was beginning to lose the battle. I could see Victoria in the corner of my eye, she flailed back and forth in the water, the chains wrapped too tightly around her neck to get loose. I gave a look over to Bella.

She had been struggling in her chair the whole time. Giving out muffled screams every time I seemed to be losing. We made eye contact, her face was contorted into rage, sadness, worry and despair. The force of his body was almost too much to hold. He had repositioned his paws to be on top of my throat, and he was pushing down with all of his weight there. I knew my time was almost up.

I felt my arms giving in, as I did I felt the full amount of pressure he had to give on my throat. His jaws, snapping open and closed, were just hair away from my face. His teeth made the distance and took off a tiny piece of my neck. My arms had not fully given out or else my head would have disappeared with that bite.

Bella gave out a loud scream, much more intense than the ones before. I looked over at her, assuming this would be the last time I would get to look at the woman I had completely fallen for. Her eyes, my god, they were a piercing icy blue, almost white in color. She was staring straight at the wolf with focus that I had never seen in a vampire before. When I looked back to the large mongrel on top of me, thinking that this would be the last thing I saw in my life, I saw a knife hanging in midair behind him. He took his last bite toward my head and the knife slid through his back with a large amount of force. This all happened in a split second, I didn't know how to comprehend or recover from what had just happened.

He was up and off of me. His wolf form was trying to see his back, frantically turning and crying. He staggered back, transitioning forms back to the large man I had seen before. He was grasping at his back, blood dripped around his hips and into the water below.

He could not reach it, and he was losing consciousness fast. He staggered back towards the steps and passed out landing on the uneven surface they offered. I rushed over to Bella, the water now at my ankles, and took off her gag. We didn't speak, I only took off her chains and helped her up. She seemed to be startled but alert, her eyes were back to a hungry crimson red. We made our way for the stairs, but just before hitting the stairs, Bella stopped and looked at the generator. The stand it was on had it just above the water level, though the cables connected to it were not. I grabbed it and set it on the first step.

"Go Bella, get up there!" I shouted pushing for her to move up the stairs.

Without a second thought in my head I flipped the switch. I didn't stick around to see all that happened. My best guess is that Victoria would eventually be given relief when the gas ran out, but by then we would be long gone. Who knows if she would even survive all of that. The wolf was already dead anyways, he wouldn't be able to help her.

As Soon as we made it outside I scanned the area looking for more potential threats. I couldn't be completely sure that he hadn't had more of his kind with him. I had been carrying her bridal style out of the house, I figured she hadn't eaten in a while and was weak from her captors torturing her for the last week. My head constantly going back and forth looking for movement. I listened for any sound that wasn't us.

I looked down at her eyes, checking to see what color they were. They were icy blue in the middle, and red on the outside. What had they done to her? Had all the torture she received changed her? I have to get her to Carlisle, he would know what this was. I looked down at her lips, I needed her to know that everything was okay, and I would protect her. I needed her to know that I was hers, and I had made my decision to be with her.

I gave her a powerful and emotion filled kiss, trying to convey all my feelings for her in that kiss. But it wasn't like the one we shared before. Something was lost, something was not there. Trying again, I pressed my lips harder against hers, I wrapped her around my waist and cupped her ass to try to get her to kiss me back with as much passion as I was giving. It wasn't working.

Finally, I let her go and looked into her eyes, they were back to that icy white and blue that I had seen in the house. She wasn't there, she wasn't present. What was going on? She turned out of my grasp, took a few steps forward and put her arm out. Before I could ask her what she was doing, Alice came barreling out of the tree line. In less than a half a second, Alice was up in the air, at least 40 feet high, and pinned against a tree. I didn't know what was happening, but Alice clearly did.

"Bella! Its me! Alice! Your best friend! Your sister! PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW! I MEAN IT!" she said frantically, panic striking her face.

And just like that Bella put her arm down quickly, and Alice fell to the ground with a large thud. She stood and wiped off her new dress that she had just bought, she must be pissed. She put her arms up like she was surrendering and very slowly walking the distance to us. I was shell shocked behind Bella, not knowing if I would be the next person to be stranded in the air like that. Alice finally made it all the way there, arms still in the air.

"Bella, you're safe now, we are here to take you home, can you hear me?"

"Yes." Was all she said, her voice cracking from all the screaming she had done in the last week.

Bella turned and started walking, I guess she would assume Alice and I would follow. I needed to know what was going on with MY Bella, right now.

Turning to Alice, slightly pissed I said, "What is going on? I need to know. Seriously Alice, I'm sick of all your secrets. You knew that this was going to happen to her and you didn't even tell me. How am I going to take care of her now?!"

She turned to me, even more agitated, "Listen blondie, you need to put your shit in a box for one second. Life isn't always about you and what you want! I saw her eyes the second the wolf was killed, yes, but I don't know what it is yet, so calm the fuck down. You need to give her space, and a large amount of it. Stop pressuring her, stop crowding her, and definitely stop coming onto her! Do you even stop to think for a second what she has been through in the last week?! She has changed, and we are all going to have to help her with this. But YOU need to stop being so goddamn selfish Rosalie Hale!"

She said the last part poking her finger into my chest. I had never heard Alice so mad and demanding in my life. When we had reached the car, Bella was in the passenger seat of my 'cuda, 3 gas cans were lined along the side of my car. Where did she get those?

This was going to be a hell of a ride.

* * *

Just giving some credit to my girlfriend for helping me write this chapter, i love you!


	35. Chapter 35

Author's note:

So we have a few changes made to the core story so far. They can drink, Jacob is not the same guy and Bella's powers. Any changes I make are relatively small I would say, so we will just roll with it! The only big ones are that Bella is gay and her gift. Thanks for your feedback, I figured I would post another chapter for you. I will be on a vacation later this week, so I will be a little behind with this when I get back. I'll try to post between now and then again. Enjoy!

Chapter 35- One Hungry Vamp

We were set to meet up with the family back in Washington, everyone was making their way back from all of the places they had gone. Bella sat quietly in the passenger seat for so long, just staring out the window. I was worried I had lost her and some shell of the woman I knew was in her place. We drove all night sitting in that silence. The only sounds were the music I played. I hoped it would soothe her, maybe bring her back to me somehow.

I fought with myself over and over in on that drive, trying to convince myself that it was ok to ask her the list of things I wanted to know. I knew Alice was right, though I would never admit to it. She did need some space, but I wanted her to know I was here for her. I needed her to know she could count on me. I wanted her to just be better, to be the old Bella I knew.

No matter what Alice said, I did need to push her in some ways. I had debated it a little bit but decided that she needed to feed. Maybe if she could get something in her she would start to feel better.

I pulled the car off the side of the road, we were on the outskirts of a heavy forest area, this would be a perfect place to start.

Slightly scared, I walked to the passenger side and opened the door for her, she looked up at me with the darkest red eyes I had ever seen. Well, at least they weren't blue.

"I thought we could hunt here, try to get back into the swing of things slowly. Without anyone to, well, you know, distract you?" I said, trying not to bring up the whole incident with Alice just a few hours before.

She just quietly nodded her head in agreement, and got out slowly. We walked in silence, searching for something to start with. We must have been walking for about 30 minutes when I asked my first question. I had to know something, anything. I needed to help the woman I was falling in love with, I couldn't just give up on her because she was changing into something unfamiliar. There must be some way I can snap her out of this. I mean, I've done it before, haven't I?

"So, um, a lot has happened since you've been, uh, away. Emmett and I are no longer together..." Shit, really Rosalie? Out of all things, that's the first thing you mention? Goddess help me, I'm just digging myself a deeper grave.

"Oh, is that so?" She said, a little look of surprise on her face. At least this was a good start, it was the first sign of emotion I had seen since the cabin.

"Yeah, uh, it was actually his decision, not mine. We just have been drifting for years and I guess he had seen it coming for a while. So, I guess it wasn't that much of a surprise, but it still..." I stopped my ramblings when I noticed she was no longer beside me. Good talk Rosalie, you are starting off just _great._

I ran after her scent, just to make sure she was okay. Something in my heart knew she was, but I just needed to be sure after all she had gone through. I found her about a mile away, covered in blood, finishing her last buck on the forest floor. I looked around, how long had I been rambling? Not more than 5 minutes I figured. She had the time to smell, track, and kill not only one buck, but four? I didn't decide to question her on it, even though I could tell something in her was changing. I was slightly scared, but a little bit turned on. No Rosalie, you aren't, you need to stop. Silently cursing my hormones, I walked over to her to see if she was satisfied enough with her kills to get on the road again.

"Ready to go?" I asked as she was standing, I gave her a few feet of space just in case she was not done.

"Yes, thank you, I needed this." She said, wiping blood off her face, not really caring about her bloodied clothes, that wasn't really like her. We started our trek back to the car.

"I have a change of clothes for you in the car, I think it would be a good idea to stop somewhere and change before we get home in a few hours." I said, trying my best to care for her.

"I think that would be a good idea, I'll just change at the car, no need to waste any more time." Everything she said was so level headed now, so matter of fact.

We reached the car no more than fifteen minutes later, I picked the clothes I had brought her out of the trunk. When I closed the trunk, I looked up and saw her stripping down to her bra and underwear. I looked away immediately, shocks erupting in my lower stomach. Really? God, I needed to calm myself down, I needed a cold shower. I, Rosalie Hale, am not a horny 15-year-old boy. I am a confident, level headed woman that can handle seeing someone half naked!

Bringing me out of my internal struggle, Bella spoke up, "Hey, Rosalie, are you alright?" she was right behind me at this point. She must have noticed my awkwardness and come to see if I was okay. Shit.

"Yeah, erm, I, I'm fine." Trying to not stare at her body, eyes front and on her face Hale.

"Well, can I please have my clothes?" She said, reaching out and brushing my arm as she was taking them from me. It must have been a while since I had felt another person's touch because it had sent me into another world. I really needed that cold shower. Asap.

We got on the road shortly after. Trying not to be awkward and think about her body for the next couple hours, I decided to try to conversate with her again. Since she couldn't run away this time.

"How are you feeling?" I said, eyes drifting toward her for the millionth time.

"I'm okay, considering everything." She said, not looking away from the window.

"What did they do to you when you were down there?" I said, trying to get more information out of her.

"Well," She said, taking a deep breath, "First they chained me up to the chair, asked me questions about where Edward was. I basically told them to fuck off, and that's when they put my feet in a bucket of water and put the wires in. It stayed that way for however long I was there." She said, voice not changing once while she was telling the story.

"What happened to you when the wolf was on top of me? What was that?" I said, needing to know more.

"What do you mean what happened? I was scared for your life, I could see it ending. I don't really remember what happened for a minute or two, I just remember climbing the stairs with you, and looking back to make sure they were dead." She explained, I think I could sense some irritation in her voice.

"Your eyes Bella, they turned icy blue, and the knife came out of nowhere and stabbed him in the back. And after that, it happened again. When Alice came out of the forest, you could sense her. What happened? Do you know what it is? Can you tell me more about it?" Focused on asking my questions, I hadn't even noticed she had turned to look at me. Her expression was seriously irritated at this point.

"Rosalie can you have to stop. I…I can't give you what you want right now. I've been through a lot. I get it, you saved me, and I owe you my life. But I don't need all these questions right now. I don't know anything, I don't know what's going on with me, I don't know if I will ever be the same. What do you think I have been thinking about this whole time we have been driving? I'll tell you what, when I find out, I'll let you know." She said that last part with a little sting. Whatever this was, I could tell it was hurting her immensely.

"Okay, I'm sorry..." I said, questions still swirling through my head. Questions that I needed to ask, but I couldn't right now. I needed to refrain myself, but I needed to know. Where do we stand? Is life ever going to be back to normal again? Was she going to decide to leave our family? I guess we would find out soon. We had just pulled into our driveway and saw everyone from the Denali and Cullen family out front.

Carlisle was approaching the car when I put it in park, walking slowly with Alice. He opened the passenger side and reached for Bella's hand as gently as possible. She took it and walked inside with him and Alice, not looking back to see if I was coming in behind her. That hurt a little. I had just opened my door to get out and walk inside, when I saw someone standing there. Out of all people, it was Kate. Great, I didn't really have the patience to deal with this bitch right now.

"Hey Rosalie, I wanted to talk to you for a minute if you had the chance..." She said, trailing off, kind of seeming nervous.

"Sure." I said, trying to be short with her.

"First, I want to apologize to you, I think I have a little explaining to do." She said, waiting for my response. I just nodded my head, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, when Bella and I started hanging out, I did have the intention of dating her." My face turned cold, why did she need to bring this up? "But hear me out, she did need a friend that she could talk to about her situation. I eventually told her that my intentions were to date her. She told me that she was interested in someone else, that someone else was you." I didn't expect that, but I didn't interrupt. I let her continue.

"I gave her advice on how to deal with the situation at hand, you know, she had never really felt this way before. So, I told her to go after you, and to pursue what made her happy. The whole point of this is, I feel slightly responsible for everything that has happened between you two. That's why I wanted to apologize, I don't want there to be any animosity between us. I want you two to be together, and I also want to help while she is getting better. Alice has told me everything, including her, um, thing that is happening. I'm going to be here for a while, so I thought it was better to do it now rather than later." She finally ended her rant. I honestly didn't know what to say, I had hated this woman for a long time now. She had good intentions, but I was still holding onto the single fact that she wanted to date Bella. I couldn't stop myself from feeling jealous.

"Okay, well, just try not to mess anything up while you are here. My first priority is her, above anything and everyone else. So, don't try to get between us again." I said, I thought It was appropriate. I wasn't going to let my guard down just yet.

"Okay, sounds fair, thanks Rosalie. I appreciate it." She walked away without another word, I think I got my point across to her. Good.

* * *

Again, thanks to my wonderful girlfriend for helping me with this chapter!


	36. Chapter 36

Author's Note:

So we are going to talk a little about Bella's ability and all this chapter. I am doing this a bit quick because I am running off to catch a plane. I hope you all enjoy, and thank you for the feedback!

Chapter 36- Look What I Can Do

(Bella's POV)

I was brought into the house by Carlisle, and I was so happy to see him. Something about him brought me comfort, like a father figure you could count on. Esme and Jasper were waiting in the living room for us. I immediately felt his calming presence. Jasper hit me like a brick wall with it. I have to admit that I liked it and I welcomed as much of it as he would offer. Esme put her arm gently around my shoulders and gave me a reassuring squeeze, accompanied by a kiss on my cheek.

"It's so good to see you my dear. We have all been worried sick." She said as she embraced me.

"Thanks." I said giving a small smile. Jasper had greeted me with a smile and a nod, and a guess a thick fog of calm. I smiled and nodded back.

"Does Charlie know I am ok?" I asked to Esme a little worried.

"Of course, dear, we had Alice call and explain that we asked you to come on a vacation with us. She said you asked her to ask for you is all. He is none the wiser." Esme answered reassuringly.

"Good." I said feeling a little relieved.

"Bella, I would like to speak with you in my office. Tanya is waiting in there for us." He said calmly.

Esme followed us into the small room, Tanya sat in one of the leather seats in front of the desk. Carlisle went to pull out the other chair for me. I went and sat down across from his spot. Esme sat slightly off the corner of the desk. All of them looked at me for a moment before speaking. Tanya broke contact with me to look to Carlisle. It seemed as though they shared a silent conversation. Finally, Carlisle turned his attention to speak to me.

"So, we hear that you may have had something happen to you out there. A new talent so to speak."

"Dear, we understand if you are too uncomfortable to talk about this yet, but we want to be here for you in this strange time." Esme countered before I had a chance to speak.

"I guess you could say a few things happened to me." I said not knowing how to even begin.

"We have bits and pieces of the story from Alice. It is your story to tell, but I want you to be comforted in the fact that we are your family and you can depend on us for anything. We want to help you through this tragedy and also through any new talents you may have discovered." Carlisle spoke persuasively.

"Well, they took me and put me in their trunk. Then they chained me to a chair in a musty basement and tortured me. They wanted to know where Edward was. They electrocuted me over and over when I didn't tell them what they wanted to hear."

"Dear, I'm so sorry." She said coming to sit on the arm of my chair. She put her arm around me. I didn't know how to react. I was a mixture of pain and sadness. If I were human I might have had tears, but I wasn't human. All I could offer were my words, no tears.

"It doesn't matter." I said shaking my head, trying to shake the memory. "Rosalie came and then her and Victoria fought. Rose had her beat, but then Jacob came…" I trailed off trying to push on. "He was going to kill her." My voice cracked.

"What happened?" Tanya pressed gently.

"I…I don't…" I put my hand to my head, trying to remember. "The last thing I could see was Jacob biting at her neck. I could see the look in her eyes when she met mine. Then nothing, I went blank after that."

"I'm sorry to cause you to relive all this. It is important for us to get to the bottom of this. Do you remember what happened after you were out of the basement?" Carlisle asked.

"I remember…Rosalie, she carried me. Then she…" I stopped realizing what she did. If I were human my cheeks would have turned red. I was embarrassed that I almost just told everyone that she kissed me. "She made sure I was ok." Good recovery. "Then I heard a sound in the trees, and I thought it might be them. I didn't think, I just reacted. I don't know what I did or how." I was frustrated at myself for not being able to tell them more.

"That's ok. Alice said that she was lifted high above the ground. She said you were holding her there in the air. You had your arm stretched out and blue eyes." Carlisle explained.

"I don't know how it happened. I felt threatened and I just did it." I said defensively.

"It's ok Bella, you didn't do anything wrong. We think you may have a unique gift. Rosalie, can you come in here." Carlisle spoke the last statement a bit louder.

Within no time Rosalie was opening the office door. She closed it gently behind her. Her eyes met mine but I looked away quickly. I wasn't sure how to feel about her. I didn't need to make myself any more anxious thinking about that right now.

"Can you explain to us what you saw from your perspective, on what Bella did?" Carlisle asked looking up to her. She was standing near the door, leaned against the wall. She appeared a bit awkward.

"Sure. The Mutt had me pinned to the ground in the basement of the house. He had taken off a small piece of my neck. I looked at her, thinking my death was imminent, and her eyes turned an icy blue color. Suddenly the knife that the mutt had brought was floating behind his back, and in a split second it shot into him. It saved my life." She said matter-of-factly.

"I see." Carlisle said.

"And what about outside the house, with Alice?" Tanya asked.

"It was the same thing. Her eyes went blue and before I knew it Alice popped out of the trees and went up in the air. Bella was focused on her, with her arm stretched out. Alice yelled at her to let her down. Then she lowered her arm and down went Alice. Her eyes went back to normal after that." Rosalie said.

"This was the first time you experienced such a thing?" Esme asked.

"I think so. I just only remember bits and pieces until the drive home." I said back.

"That's ok, we are just trying to figure this out." Esme said sweetly.

"I think she is Psychokinetic. Though I have never met one in person. I have only heard stories." Tanya spoke towards Carlisle.

"I was thinking the same. In my time with the Volturi I had been tasked in investigating a potential. Thankfully for him, the rumors of his powers were false." He answered back.

"Hold on, why was that good for him?" Rosalie asked.

Carlisle gave out a sigh, it seemed as though this was a conversation he did not want to have. He directed his attention to her and folded his hand on the desk.

"The Volturi have a great in individuals with such gifts. It is a very rare gift." He looked to me as he finished his last statement.

"I don't even want this. Is there some way to just turn it off or something?" I asked dumbly.

"I'm afraid not. You do not have to use the power, but you also cannot control it. If you are in an intensely stressful or emotional situation, you may use it without willing yourself to." He answered me.

"They cannot find out about her, you know the consequences." Tanya said seriously to Carlisle.

"I am fully aware. We will do our best to keep this under wraps. Maybe we can help her to control this." He spoke again to Tanya.

She spoke back to him, but I did not listen. My mind was stuck on what might happen to me if the Volturi found out. They were talking quickly back and forth while I blankly stared at the trimming of the desk in front of me. My emotions were beginning to spiral and my stress was rising. I could feel myself getting worked up.

"What will happen to me?" I interrupted their conversation. They all paused and looked at me.

"They will want you to join them." Carlisle said calmly, trying to quiet me down a little bit, I think my eyes must have been turning again.

"And if I say no?" I asked.

"They will not take that as an answer." He said hesitantly, looking down at his folded hands.

"They will kill you and your family, most likely." Tanya said as gently as possible.

"There is no way in hell that they are touching her!" Rosalie spoke up.

"It won't come to that." Esme countered.

"What if it does? We need to figure out a plan just in case it does." Rosalie said upset.

"We will try to help you control it. I think we should start tomorrow." Carlisle said.

"I can have Kate use her gift to try to provoke her possibly." Tanya offered.

"I'll be there too." Rosalie said confidently.

Well, I guess it's going to be a party then.

That night I mostly hung around Alice. Her bubbly attitude kept my mind off things. She was busy designing a line of fashion. She told me she decided to get into the world of fashion, since she had so many years' experience in buying it. I had no idea, but she got a degree in fashion design a few years back. She said it was just an interest and since she had endless years to study whatever she wants, she went for it. Her I got her to tally up her degrees, and I must say…impressive is an understatement.

She had studied finance, fashion, business, economics, anthropology, literature, dance, and social work. Her master's degrees were mostly in the same areas, like business and on in a social science. She actually has two P.H. D's though. One in Psychology and another in Literature. I would have never have expected the bubbly little creature to be a business woman, and a well-educated one at that.

After she had gone through all of her education I started to wonder about all of the others. I guess they had all probably studied a lot. I can't imagine going through high school over and over, they must only do it every so often.

I was laying on her bed while she drew her concept designs for her outfits at her desk. Talking to her had been making me feel pretty good so I figured I would keep it going. My curiosity had won me over anyways.

"Has Esme also gotten a bunch of degrees?" I asked.

"She has more than me. She is basically always getting a degree." She said not looking up from her work.

"How?" I asked.

"She takes online courses lately, but before that she would always go to whatever college near us."

"What does she study?" I asked a bit stunned.

"She is doing graphic design right now." She said back.

"What has she done before?" I asked.

"Erm, Lots of things. Childhood development, social work, Architecture, interior design, theater, marketing, law, dentistry. Some other stuff, but she is hard to keep up with."

"She is a lawyer and a dentist?" I asked dumfounded.

"Also, a child Psychologist and an architect." She laughed.

"I thought she just stayed at home while you all did your thing?" I said dumbly.

"Well, she switches her career often. Usually its creative or it helps others. When she was a practicing dentist she worked with kids too. She has a soft spot for them." She looked up from her work to say the last part.

"That makes a lot of sense. She is great with people in general."

The rest of the night was spent in the same fashion, just casual conversation with her while she worked. Eventually she started making one of her designs, but before I knew it morning had come. I was dreading having to be poked and prodded at. I wished I could just make the power go away. We heard a gentle knock on her door and I knew my time had come.

"Bella? We should get started with trying to control that gift of yours." Kate said from the other side of the door.

"Come in." Alice said. She looked at me, and frowned playfully at the end of our banter together. Kate opened the door and peaked in her head. I gave her a painful look.

"It will be fun!" She said in mock excitement. "…For me at least." She added with a devious grin.

Alice saw what was in store for the day and gave Kate a grimace. She knew something was up.

"Be nice Kate." She scolded.

"What?" Kate asked defensively.

"I see your plans for provoking her." She said sourly. She turned back to her work without another word.

I got up and followed her, fearing what was to come.


	37. Chapter 37

Authors Note:

Okay guys, i'm back from my little vacation. I hope you guys like this chapter, it is a little more about her power and how to control it. Its a little longer, so keep reviewing! I have a few chapters written ahead, so ill be posting more frequently now. Thank you!

Chapter 37- My bad.

Kate lead me into the woods just about a half mile from the house. My nerves were high already from this and she could tell. She tried to make light conversation with me.

"So, I am happy you are safe." She said as we walked.

"Me too. It's good to see you. I just wish we could do something else." I said honestly.

"I know, but it's important that you learn how to control this. It's a pretty badass talent by the way. I don't usually get jealous over gifts, but I am with yours." She joked.

"Take it, I don't need it." I said lightly.

"Hey before Rose gets here, I just want to say that I'm sorry for giving you the advice that I did. I can't help but feel that if I hadn't told you to…you know…that none of this would have happened. I would have taken your place if I could have." She said sincerely.

"It would have still happened no matter what Kate. They were hunting me. Thank you for saying that though. I'm sure you would have kicked their asses before they had a chance to take you." I said smiling.

"That is probably true." She said smiling back. "This should be far enough."

"Far enough for what?" I asked.

"I figure that its safer for everyone if we are farther out here. That way when you throw me, I won't cause any holes in the Cullen house." She said laughing.

"I'm not going to throw you." I said.

"We will see about that." She said rolling her eyes.

I heard Rosalie approaching from behind us. She was walking slowly, eyes on me the entire time. I kind of liked this new Rose, she was very clingy, protective, and sweet. I could get used to this, but not right now. I had way too much on my mind to even entertain what we were right now.

"Hey Bella, I'm just here to keep an eye on you, no pressure." She said coolly, trying not to seem overprotective. It was cute.

"Okay, well let's get this over with then. What do you need me to do?" I said, trying to move this whole process along, I just wanted to get back to semi normal vampire life.

"Well, this is probably going to be painful, but we are trying to elicit a response from you, much like you had in the cabin a few days ago. So, if you feel yourself starting to feel any different while this is happening, let us know and we can help walk you through it." Kate said, matter of fact-ly. She seemed like she had done this a few times before. I'm not sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Alright Bella, I'm going to give you a less powerful shock, let me know if it does anything for you." She winked after she said the last part. I looked at Rose, she just rolled her eyes. I was proud of her for not flipping out.

A jolt of electricity ran straight from my shoulder down to my toes, it didn't last for more than ten seconds, but still, it was painful. I cringed at the pain, but I could handle it. It wasn't as bad as what I had experienced before.

"Anything Bella?" Rose asked, visually seeing I was alright, just a little out of breath and light headed.

"Not yet, you're probably going to have to use more than that..." I said, trailing off. I really didn't want this right now.

"Okay Bella, we are going to amp it up and make it last a little while longer, ready?" Kate said.

"Yeah, go right ahea-" I didn't even get to finish my sentence before the next jolt of electricity was shaking me to my core. Way more painful than the last time, it had brought me to my knees. So much pain was traveling through my body, my teeth were shattering and I'm sure my hair was a mess.

"Okay Kate! That's enough!" Rose said, stopping Kate at the fifteen second mark. She was visually upset this time, I could tell she couldn't handle seeing me in pain again. She didn't want me to go through with this, but she also knew I needed to do it.

"Bella? Feel anything yet?" Kate asked.

"No, just a whole lot of pain. I think I might be able to handle one more though, I need to get this over with." I said, trying to suck it up.

"Bella, you don't need this right now, you literally just got back to the house. You need time to recover from what you were just through. Come on, let's go back inside." Rose said, reaching out her hand to lift me on my feet. I took her hand, but shook my head. This needed to be done.

"One more time Kate, come on. Give me all you got" I said, wiping the dirt from my clothes.

Kate had a worried look on her face, and all I gave her was a small nod. I was sure of this, I needed to be tough for my family. Plus, the sooner I could get this over with, the sooner I could start worrying about other things. Like this female model standing beside me watching Kate like she was the spawn of the she-devil herself.

The last jolt of electricity couldn't have lasted more than three seconds, because when I woke up from it, Rosalie was on top of Kate, grabbing her hair and slapping her across the face. Kate was sending jolts of electricity through Rose, but somehow, she was fighting it and still slapping and pulling hair. I stood up, but I must have passed out again, because the next thing I remember was standing in the forest in front of Kate and Rose. Hands raised in the air like some kind of weirdo. For some reason, I heard Kate and Rose yelling at me to put it down. Put what down? I looked up and I was suspending what was probably a thousand-pound boulder above my head.

"Bella listen sweet heart, you can do this, control it, can you hear me? I know you're in there somewhere, come out and talk to me, please Bella." Rose was pleading, she had red marks all over her face and arms, so did Kate. Did I do that?

"I can hear you Rose, what do I do? I'm so scared." I said, I didn't know what to do with this huge boulder suspended over my head, it could come crashing down at any second if I snapped out of whatever trace I was in.

"Bella, just use all your strength you have, imagine the boulder being sent over by that stream over behind us, see it?" Kate said. I looked over to where it was, it was about fifty feet from me. There was no way in hell I could do this.

"You can do it Bella, please." Rose said, terrified that this boulder was going to smash down on me.

I tried walking with my hands in the air toward the stream, the boulder shook, this wasn't going to work. So, I tried with all my power to visualize the boulder floating across the way and into the stream. No more than a second later, it started moving. Was I doing this?

"That's it Bella! Great job!" Kate and Rosalie were cheering me on, this felt kind of good.

Before I knew it, the boulder was placed in the stream and they were running over towards me. Rosalie picked me up and shook me, I could tell she was pretty happy with what I had accomplished. I noticed at that point that both her and Kate had tons of small cracks in their skin. It looked like their perfect skin was a windshield that was hit with a hundred small rocks. A few bigger cracks were noticed too.

"Alright so thanks for not killing us, but now it's time to talk about that thousand-rock storm you sent our way before you decided that the boulder was a better idea." Kate spoke up when Rose had set me down.

"I threw rocks at you? When?!" I said, shaken that I didn't remember doing any of that.

"Yeah, you suspended like maybe two hundred and threw them all at one time at us. It was kind of cool, but also really painful at the same time." Rosalie chuckled as she said it, but I could tell she was still proud of me. She looked at her arms that were already starting to heal.

"I'm just so happy we could get you to respond to us when you were in that state, we have to go tell Carlisle and the others!" Kate said, bouncing inside.

Rosalie took my hand for a second and looked me in the eyes, "You don't ever have to do that again if you don't want to. I'm sorry I started attacking her like that. She knocked you out cold and I didn't know how to control myself." She looked away, worried that I was mad at her.

"Well, it got me to that state of mind again, so I guess you helped out a lot. Seeing you being attacked is what sent me into that frenzy, so you don't have anything to worry about" I said, trying to ease her worry at least a little.

We were making our way inside slowly, I was enjoying the feeling of having her hand in mine, at least for a little while. I didn't want to worry about what we were right now, but it felt nice to have this touch. After the whole ordeal today, I really just wanted to find out more from Carlisle and Esme about this whole power thing, but they were out hunting for the rest of the day and wouldn't be back until the evening. Alice and Rose were hanging out, probably arguing about what to do next about me. So, it gave me some much-needed alone time, or what I thought would be alone time. Kate came into my room so quietly I didn't even hear her.

"Hey Bella, can we talk for a little while?" Kate asked, startling me from my thoughts.

"Yeah, sure, come on in" I said, a bit sarcastically. I just wanted to be left alone.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing with the whole power thing, and everything that happened today. I tried the best I could, but I'm happy with the outcome, even though I had to go through hell to get there" She said, chuckling.

"I'm doing alright, sorry about that by the way." I said. "I did have one question though, about all this. How did you learn to control your power?"

"Ha, don't worry about it Bella, I'll be back to normal in a few hours. She twisted her arm to inspect a crack in her prefect marble skin that was still healing. Hmm, my power was a little more difficult to contain. I should probably explain the whole story. You know I was born around 1030, right?"

"Erm, no, I had no idea you were that…" I trailed off.

"Old? Yes, I am pretty old. I would like to say I am just more experienced though." She said giving me a wink. "Anyways, it was about 1432 when I found my mate, Xenia. We were living in Florence during the beginning of the Italian renaissance, it was a beautiful time. But also, the most difficult for vampires. The Roman Catholic church was at the height in its power at that time, they had vampires at their head of command, and killing whomever got in their way, or even looked at them wrong. I assume you learned about the crusades?" She asked.

"Some, but I thought that was all earlier?" I felt dumb.

"They were, but only the last one was within a century of this time. So, the church was still had an aggressive stance. Xenia and I were living in a small cottage right outside of the city. One day, she had come home in a panic, someone had found her feeding on a mountain lion in the woods outside of our home. Rumors were spreading fast about a Demon woman that lived outside of the town. I knew the leaders of the church would be coming for us soon. You would be surprised to learn how many leaders have been vampires, especially in that day. I knew we would be no match for them. Control was everything to them, and we were living outside their law." Her face was changing, I knew this must have been a difficult story to tell. I just nodded my head and touched her arm, hoping that it would give her more courage to continue.

"We were packing our things that next night, we had planned on making our way to Greece because they were not controlled by the powerful vampires at the head of the Catholic church. We weren't fast enough though…" She paused looking down. "I still blame myself for everything that happened that night. Two vampires came into our home and took Xenia hostage immediately. All they wanted was for me to join them, they had promised that Xenia would be let go after I was gone. I kissed Xenia on the lips one last time, and was led outside of our home. I looked back one last time, and that's when I saw the man burn her alive, along with our home. She faded right in front of my eyes, the large man was holding me back. I couldn't do anything to help her. That's when I went absolutely insane. I exploded out with currents of electricity. I killed both of those men that night, and anyone that got in my way as I made my way out of the country side. I was a mess of a woman for the next few years, until I found my sisters again, still living in Slovakia. They were the ones that helped me control my power. But it was a hell of a ride until I found them again." She concluded. I could tell it still pained her after hundreds of years. I felt sorry for asking her this question, I felt foolish.

"I'm so sorry Kate, I didn't know…" I said, looking down. She grabbed my hand softly.

"No, Bella, don't be sorry. This is a story that I don't tell to everyone, but I feel like it could be helpful to you, so you don't repeat my mistakes." She said.

"What do you mean? Repeat your mistakes?" I said, a bit confused.

"Well, most vampires that have defensive gifts show their ability's when they find their mates. It has been assumed that the abilities express themselves in an effort to protect. It usually takes some sort of duress for it to come out, but normally those vampires don't show any kind of ability before they actually find their mate they are meant to be with." She said, my face in absolute panic.

"What do you mean? I have a mate?" I said a little too loudly, I covered my mouth embarrassed that I spoke so loud. I was worried Alice and Rosalie could hear.

"Yes, your mate. Some vampires are able to express their gifts from the start, Like Edward and Jasper. Alice's abilities didn't show until they found each other, and they were in some sort of duress about each other. Everyone knows this, I'm surprised you didn't?" She said, questioning me.

"Well nobody really keeps me in the loop about being a vampire, so I'm not really surprised this is happening." I said, seriously ticked off at Alice, but most of all Rosalie. She had the nerve to keep this from me, that we were mates. Are you kidding me? After everything? This is how she treats me? Not anymore, she won't. I was just getting up to storm into Alice's room when Kate grabbed me by the arm.

"Please, I guarantee you Rosalie had a good reason to keep this from you, along with everyone else in this house. She just wants what is best for you, Bella. I didn't mean to tell you like this, it wasn't my intention" she said, face full of emotion.

"Oh, it's not your fault, in fact, I'd say that you are the only one who is trying to help right now." I said angrily.

"Stop that, she was helping earlier before you nearly smashed us with a boulder. She may not know yet herself. It is common knowledge that many vampires won't express their gift until a situation like what you experienced, but she may have not put two and two together. If she does understand, I'm sure she did have a good reason for not mentioning it. I mean, you are still recovering." She said trying to calm me down.

"Here's my advice" She continued, "She might not even know about the good possibility of you two being mates. So, for right now, let it be what it is. You like her a lot, and from what I can tell, she likes you. Let it be natural. Find out if you two are, but don't put any pressure on it." She finished.

"yeah, I guess you are right. It's not like I know if we are either. Everyone is treating me like I'm a bomb, even Rosalie, I'm sick of it." I said upset. I sat back down and crossed my arms, a little too childishly.

"Well, right now you kind of are." She said laughing. I gave her a look that made her stop laughing.

"I mean, the gift you have is very powerful. Everyone just wants to make sure you are kept safe…and that you don't throw any huge rocks on us." She smirked.

"Well, just don't upset me and you will be fine." I looked up at her with my own smirk. She had a way of making me feel better. I was glad to have her in my life.

"So, we can try again if you want. I just don't want to push you too much." Kate said.

"I want to control this, it was scary seeing what I am capable of today. I don't want to hurt anyone." I said.

"Ok first thing tomorrow we can go bac-.."

"No, now." I interrupted her.

"I'm not going to shock you again in this house. Rosalie will be in this room and bashing my skull in faster than you can black out and find a house to throw." She said teasing.

"Why can't I learn to do it without you shocking me?" I asked.

"You can, but we have to figure out how to get you to focus. Here…" She got up and got a pencil from the desk. "How about we start small. Try to focus on this pencil. See it moving off of my hand and into the air. Shut everything else out, ok?" She said seriously.

"Ok…" I scrunched my face trying to concentrate on the little utensil. Nothing happened. The pencil did nothing as I focused on it. My thoughts were not fully on this pencil. I had so many other things to think about.

"See it moving, imagine lifting it with your hand. Mimic the movements with your fingers if you need to."

I focused all of my attention on seeing it move. I lifted my hand and pretended to pick it up, but did not touch it. Nothing happened at first, but when I mimicked the movement again I focused hard on seeing it move. The sharp end of the pencil lifted slightly in the air, it shook slightly. Then the eraser side came up off her hand and I had the entire thing in the air. It didn't hold steady, but I was doing it. I smiled big and looked to Kate she met my expression with a grin of her own. The pencil dropped to the floor when I lost my focus.

I just fucking did that.


	38. Chapter 38

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for the reviews, it means a lot. Please keep doing it! I hope you like this one ;) next couple of chapters is Rosella development time. Stay tuned!

Chapter 38- Maybe We Could Go Out Sometime?

(Rosalie's POV)

After Bella Pounded us with a rock storm that looked like something out of an Anime film and almost crushed us with a boulder, we called it a day on the training. Kate ran inside to tell the others of our success while I stayed back with Bella. I was more concerned with her and how she was feeling. She seemed a bit in shock, so I took a chance and reached for her hand. To my surprise, I felt her grip tighten around mine. If I had a working heart, it would have been beating out of my chest.

"You don't ever have to do that again if you don't want to. I'm sorry I started attacking her like that. She knocked you out cold and I didn't know how to control myself." I looked away, worried that I was being too…too…clingy. I was ashamed of the way I reacted, it wasn't the side of me I wanted her seeing. Also, I didn't know how to show her I cared and also give her space. At least her hand was still gripping mine.

"Well, it got me to that state of mind again, so I guess you helped out a lot. Seeing you being attacked is what sent me into that frenzy, so you don't have anything to worry about." She said reassuringly.

We walked back to the house in a comfortable silence. When we were coming out of the trees she dropped my hand and just walked beside me. I understood that she was self-conscious about how that would look. I understood, but it still stung my pride a little.

I figured I better give her some space, and it would be impossible to do that if I hung around her. So, I made up an excuse to go talk to Alice. When we got into the house she went straight up to her room. I walked into the living room and immediately caught eye contact with Emmett. Things with him were slightly awkward since our talk. He gave me a small smile and a nod, I did the same back. I walked quickly through to the kitchen, I knew Alice was in there talking to Esme.

Emmett followed me in there and got my attention before I could speak to them.

"Hey Rose, can we talk?" He seemed a bit sheepish.

"Erm, sure." I said turning back around and following him. He led me just outside the front door. He sat down on the porch step and patted for me to sit with him. I joined him sitting there.

"What's up?" I tried to sound casual, but I felt like I sounded like a jackass.

"I just wanted to clear the air, I know it's been odd since you have been back." He said looking straight ahead of us at the trees. "I love you, and I always will. This whole thing hurts me, but I just want you to be happy."

"I want that for you too, em." I agreed.

"That's why I think it would be best for me to get a little space. I going to go backpacking for a bit, I think I want to see the world. I've been pretty sheltered since my transformation and I'd like to change that." He said smiling.

"You don't have to leave, Emmett. I like having you here." I said touching his arm. Hoping he would understand its platonic nature.

"I know, I love being around here too. It's a big world though, I wanna see all that I can. Maybe I'll get to hunt some different types of animals. I'm planning to hit Europe and Asia first. Maybe I'll go through Africa. I'll come back, but I need to do this for me." He patted my hand.

"So, when do you leave?" I asked.

"I think I will be ready to go by the day after next. I just want to go buy the outdoor store tomorrow and get some stuff." He said.

"What kind of stuff could you possibly need?" I inquired.

"New boots, some shirts, a backpack and some odd and ends. I think I might grow my beard out. We'll see though." He said rubbing his chin.

"Well, I am happy for you, I hope you find what you are looking for." I said earnestly.

"I will. I am looking for new experiences, and I know I will find those." He smiled and looked down. "Hey Rose?"

"Yes?"

"You should go after your heart. I know you and I see you with her. Don't let anything stop you. You deserve happiness." He said looking back up and into my eyes. He was truly the best friend I could ever ask for. I bit my lip and looked away.

"What if I fucked it up? She seems different now. I might have ruined my chances."

"You didn't. Figure out a way to show her you care. You don't do anything half ass, this should be no different." He said.

"Thanks, Em. I'm not sure it's acceptable for my ex to be so understanding and sweet." I teased.

"I'm one of a kind baby." He cocked his eye brow and smirked.

"You really are. Promise me you'll write me?"

"Of course." He answered.

After a hug, we both went back inside. I went to find Alice who had ventured up to her room. She was sewing a dress together with her sewing machine. Her room was unusually cluttered. The walls had tacked up sketches of outfits with measurements. Fabric cuts were on the floor. She must have left her room like this earlier, because there was no way she had done this in the ten minutes I was talking to Emmett.

"Hey Alice, mind if I hang out for a bit?" I asked peeking in the door.

"Oh, sure, my room is becoming a hot spot for everyone these days. I love it." She said cheerfully.

"Alice, I don't know what to do." I said dramatically as I came in and plopped down on her bed.

"What is it now?" She said as she pulled the dress off the machine. She put it on the sewing mannequin and adjusted it. She didn't seem happy with the way it looked. She took it off quickly and scribbled some notes on a paper at her desk.

"I don't know what to do about Bella." I said looking up at the ceiling.

"I told you to give her space. How hard is that?" She said not looking up from her work.

"Emmett thinks I should pursue her." I said. She looked up from her work with curiosity.

"Emmett encouraged you to? You actually brought it up to him? Isn't that a little insensitive, even for you?" She said lightly scolding.

"No! God no. He brought it up to me. I guess he "see's something there." I don't know what to do now." I said in anguish.

"Well…" she said pursing her lips after. "I think you should start off slow. You don't want to ambush her with feelings, what was supposed to be giving her space, you're suffocating her. Maybe take her out for a casual date." She said shrugging.

"I'm not sure how to be casual." I said sitting up. I had never had to plan a date. I didn't know what was casual and what was coming on too strong. I had real feelings for this girl and I wanted her to want me.

"So, would going to a movie suffice for casual? Or is that too casual? I could plan us a trip to Mexico, we could stay on the beach? That should be a nice in between. It's not like its Paris or Rome. I feel like those places say "Stay with me forever" and I just want her to know I care. I think a movie might say "I wanna be buddies." Don't you think?" I rambled on like a middle school aged girl. After I was done, Alice just stared at me with a blank expression.

"Erm, yeah, you are totally casual about all this." She raised her brows and rolled her eyes. Her sarcasm was no help to me. I crossed my arms a little upset.

"I need help Alice! If you won't help me with that gift of your then I don't know what I'll do." I complained.

"Oh, so now you want me to use my gift on you? 'Cause for the last forty years you have scolded me when I do." She teased.

"Ugh! Fine! I'll just figure it out myself." I got up to leave the room.

"Rosalie…" She called after me as I was moving through her doorway.

"What?"

"Just think about what would mean the most to her. I'm sure anything will be great. Just go slow, ok?" She said as I stood in the doorway.

"Ok, Thanks." I said giving her a small eye roll. She definitely could have been more help.

What she said did help me, whether or not I wanted to admit it. I laid on my bed and started thinking about what would mean the most to her. I figured she would like having normal teenage experiences. So, a movie would be a part of the plan for sure. She loves her family and Charlie means a lot to her. Maybe I could have dinner with them one night and then take her out to a movie? How do I make that less casual? Maybe I drive us and play the part. Open the doors, pay for the tickets and take her some place afterwards to talk. I thought of a great place that I could take her, it was on the water at the beach.

I figured I could pack a blanket and fix up some snacks for us. Should be relatively simple since our diet is pretty straight forward. We could lay and watch the stars, talk and connect. It would be perfect. I just hoped that she would want to go and that if she did, that she would like it.

I wanted to go ask her right away if she would go out with me on the date. I got up off my bed and quietly made my way for her room. When I got there, I heard her laughing and talking to Kate. For a minute, I wondered if Kate had been sincere when she said she didn't mean to pursue her. Jealousy began to burn inside me. I silently cursed myself for reacting like that so quickly. I told myself to calm down.

I stood there, like an idiot for probably five minutes before I worked up the courage to knock on the door. My nerves were going crazy. The confident woman everyone knew had gone and this new coward was left in her place. Finally, I knocked.

"Yeah?" Kate answered. How dare she answer for her. Stop Rose, its fine. You are casual, remember?

"Hey, erm, Its Rose…Rosalie. Can I come in?" I said sounding dumb.

"Sure." Bella answered.

They were both sitting on her bed laughing. I was a little jealous still but I was trying to control it. I moved into the room but stood near the door awkwardly.

"Hey I was wondering if you might like to go out with me sometime?" I asked trying to seem confident.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You know, like to a movie, maybe we could have dinner with your dad first." I said sounding casual. I think I might have even shrugged my shoulder when I said 'maybe.'

"Like on a date?" Kate said smiling.

"It was just an idea…"

"Sure." Bella Interrupted. "I head back to Charlies from my 'trip with the Cullen's' tomorrow. Maybe the day after that?"

"Sounds perfect. I'll leave you two alone now." I said a bit awkwardly. Trying to still remain casual and not smile ear to ear like I had the instinct to do.

"You can hang out with us if you want to." Kate offered.

"Yeah, come chill on the bed, Kate is just telling me funny stories about her family and stuff. I mean, you don't have to." Bella said.

"Ok, sounds fun." I said making my way to the bed. I was beyond happy that she said yes. I was even more excited to be around her. We spent the rest of the night sharing embarrassing stories about people we knew and about people from our past. Kate was full of them. Despite my best efforts, I was starting to come around to her.

The next day I couldn't stop thinking about our date. Bella spent the day back at her place with her dad. I spent some of the day getting ready for our date. I went to the store and bought all new picnic stuff, a cute wicker basket, some wine glasses and a checker blanket. I wanted it to be perfect, so I figured I would make sure of it by buying all new things.

I bribed Kate to let me buy a bottle of aged Zebra blood and a small bottle of Octopus blood. Octopus blood was different from other animals in that it is blue. The difference in the qualities gave it a distinct flavor that I figured would be interesting for Bella to try. I planned on making a soup with it. I would have to ask Esme about what to do with the Zebra blood. Maybe we could just enjoy it as is. No picnic would be completed without a little bit of alcohol. So, I stopped by and got a bottle of red wine, I figured that should complement our dinner nicely.

I had Alice help me with the outfit. She settled on a tight gray V neck shirt, black jeans, cropped high heeled boots and a black leather jacket. She also told me to do my hair in loose curls to give me a volumized look. I was much happier with her choice, over my initial idea.

I had everything ready to go, I just had to wait it out and finish our food the next day. If only I could settle my nerves.


	39. Chapter 39

Author's note:

Hello everyone! So I decided to split the date into two chapters, otherwise it would have been a super mega chapter. I hope you are excited, next chapter concludes the date...and its probably what you want :) Rosella!

Chapter 39-Meet the Parents(or one of them)

(Bella's POV)

I didn't know how to feel about Rosalie asking me out or a movie. It took me by surprise, almost like she had changed when I was taken. I wondered I she just let responsible or it and let the need to make it up to me. That must be all it is. She most likely was taking pity on me for being that poor defenseless creature she left the night I was taken. I wasn't that person anymore, I wished she understood that. She didn't need to make anything up to me.

Everything that had happened since then was a bit confusing though. She and Emmett broke up, which would seem like she was possibly into me, but it wasn't her choice. She tried to kiss me outside of Jacob's place, but that could have easily been from the joy of finding me alive. She wouldn't have to carry guilt over me.

I wanted her to want me, but I was rut by everything that happened. I didn't want to read into anything and set myself up or failure. I had done that once, and it was uncomfortable to say the least. I needed to protect myself now, and wait for the chips to fall.

I spent the whole next day with Charlie, which meant fishing. He was happy to show me how to bait a hook and cast my line. I figured some family time might do him some good, since I seemed to run off often. It was a good day, with a good man. I told him that we were having Rosalie over for dinner the next night and he seemed surprised.

"The Cullen Blonde girl?" He said squinting his eyes as the sun hit his face. He took another drink of his beer after he asked.

"Yeah, we are pretty good friends." I said plainly. He wasn't one for details.

"I thought she always seemed so…uptight. She doesn't seem like your kind of people Bells." He said casting his line.

"She can come off that way. She is a really great person. I really like her." I said with awkward enthusiasm.

"What about that other blonde, Kim?" He said.

"Kate, dad. She and I are friends too. She isn't coming tomorrow though." I said.

"She was a real nice girl." He drifted off into thought for a minute before continuing. "Well, any friend of yours is welcome to dinner."

I spent the next day anxiously awaiting the dinner. I went shopping for groceries and had Alice bring me over what she thought I should wear. She did my makeup, which on the first go around was way too heavy. The second time she did it I actually looked natural, just prettier. She picked me out light washed jeans, a nice button down short sleeve shirt that complemented my casual style and brown leather boots. I was so nervous about the night, about her intentions and about how I felt about her.

"Hey Alice?" I asked as she was doing finishing touches on my eye liner.

"Yes?" She said still concentrating.

"Is Rose just taking me out because she feels bad about what happened?" I asked. She started laughing, pulling away from her task.

"Why would you think that?" She asked as if I were being ridiculous.

"Well, she has just been treating me like a fragile creature since I've been back. I know she thinks she is to blame for what happened. I just don't want her to think this is what I want if she is uncomfortable with it." I said feeling self-conscious.

"I can assure you that she wants to take you out for completely different reasons." She said dramatically raising her brows and looking off.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She is not taking you out because she feels bad or she pity's you. I can promise you that. Just enjoy yourself and don't worry." She said going back to doing my eye liner.

I was skeptical of her intentions; the past week had been so confusing that I wouldn't even know how to decode her. I rushed Alice out the door when she was done, even though I had time to wait until Rosalie got there. Charlie would be home around the same time.

I went to the kitchen and began cooking for three. Food seemed like such a waste these days, but it was worth it to keep my father from having a heart sack over what was truly happening to me. I could move food around my plate and pretend to enjoy to the disgusting rotting food in front of me if it meant saving him from the truth. Tonight's rotting meal would be lasagna, I had prepared it earlier isn't he day and just had to slide it in the oven. Now to wait.

It was almost painful to wait for the night. I check the mirror several times, just to make sure I looked ok. I even cleaned up the living room, I knew she had seen it, but I use wanted everything to be perfect. I kicked myself for getting worked up. I had to keep reminding myself that she may not feel the same for me, no she didn't feel the same for me. I felt so stupid getting so nervous to see her. She was so perfect, I had no idea how I was even friends with her, not to mention that I thought she could feel these emotions for me once.

Finally, I heard a car, I tried to play it cool, but I did look out the window to see who it was. My heart dropped when I realized it was Charlie. Somehow my nerves were even worse, realizing the night was starting.

Charlie came in and did the same thing he did every day, I heard him put his hat and belt on the rack near the door. Then I heard the shoes get kicked off. It wasn't more than five seconds later that he came around to the kitchen.

"Smells great Bells. Italian tonight?" He said sniffing the air.

"Lasagna, I hope it's good. It's been a while since I made anything like it."

"Well, I'm excited. I could eat a whole boar I'm so hungry." He said going to get a beer from the fridge. He promptly took his place on the couch and turned on Sports Center. He didn't seem to be nervous at all, but, why would he? God, I was being stupid.

I heard another car pull up. This was it, I peeked out the window and saw a bright red BMW. Yes, this was it. I tried to remain calm, to seem collected. I went to check the lasagna, just a little bit longer and it would be ready. Just as I closed the stove door I heard a small knock at the door. Excitement swelled within me as I went to the door.

When I opened the door I almost lost my breath, good thing I didn't have to breath. She was beautiful, and really sexy. She had her hand behind her back and aviator Sunglasses on that she took off as I opened the door.

"Hey Bella, you look nice." She said looking me up and down. How could she even say that when she looked like that?

"Erm, hey, you look great too." I said sounding awkward. Learn how to take a freakin' compliment Bella. I internally cringed at the way I sounded. "Come in!" I said moving out of the doorway. She brought her hand around from behind her back. She had a single red Rose. God, she was good.

"This is for you." She said handing it to me. If I were human I would have been beet red. Rosalie Hale got me a rose. Was this real life?

"Wow. Thank you so much." I said enthusiastically. So much for being collected. She came inside and stood in the entry way, looking around the house a bit. She cocked her brow a bit, probably. I wondered what she was thinking. Maybe she noticed I cleaned. Did I do too much? I probably made it seem like I was too excited for this by all of my preparation. Suddenly I regretted all of the anxious cleaning I did earlier. That was not casual.

We stood there awkwardly for a second before Charlie called out to us from the couch.

"Is that your friend?" He said still watching TV. I motioned with my hand for her to walk into the living room.

"Yeah, she is here." I said as we made our way in there.

"Hello, Cheif Swan. I'm Rosalie Hale. It's nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand for a shake. He looked up at her from the couch and stood up, almost as if he were embarrassed at remaining so casual. He straightened the waistline of his pants and shook her hand.

"The pleasure is mine, just call me Charlie." He said clearing his throat after. They both looked to me. I noticed I was holding the flower at my side, feeling awkward about it when Charlie looked at it, I put it behind my back slightly.

"Well, I'm going to check on the food. Want to join me?" I said motioning for her to come in the kitchen.

"I don't want to be rude, I'll visit with Charlie here." She said in an almost angelic voice. She wanted to visit with my dad? She sat down on the opposing couch and watched TV with him. I watched for a brief second in awe. Then went about my business in the kitchen fixing the dinner table.

I listened from the kitchen, curious to find out what she was doing. I figured she was being polite, but she took it to another level. I heard her bring up baseball. Not just that, she was knowledgeable about the teams and players. She and him had a pretty in-depth conversation about teams and stats. I heard Charlie talk more about that than I had heard him talk about anything in a long time.

I wondered if she had done homework on teams and players, but how did she know he liked baseball? She was sucking up to him, I giggled a little at the things she was saying. Not only did she know about the current season, but she talked about past players. She was surely impressing him. I think that was the goal there too.

"Dinner is done." I said as I peeked around the corner. She and I made eye contact and I got butterflies. I felt dumb about it. The two of them came to the table, Charlie was rubbing his stomach.

"This smells so good Bells." He said in a good mood.

"Thank you, Bella, this is going to be delicious." Rosalie said in her innocent voice. She sat next to me at the table. We all ate in silence for a few minutes, and when I say that…I mean we pretended to eat. The food actually smelled disgusting.

"This is incredible." Rosalie said.

"Thanks." I said quietly.

"So, are you a Junior or Senior?" Charlie asked still chewing his food.

"I'm going to be a senior this year." She said.

"Any plans for afterwards?" He asked. I was surprised by his sudden desire for conversation.

"Well, I am looking at colleges. I am thinking of going for criminal justice. I might pursue a law degree after." She said earnestly.

"That's interesting. If all that school is too much, you could always become a cop. I like it." He said holding his fork. I was still stunned by his interest.

"That's what I thought too. I don't think I'll mind the schooling though. It would be fulfilling to be a police woman though. I really respect all you guys that do it. It must be a tough job." She said sounding sincere. I wanted to roll my eyes. She was going to have him wrapped around her finger. I wondered how much of her plans were true though. I couldn't help but think of her in a police uniform. The thought got me bothered a little bit. I snapped myself out of it though, my dad was sitting right there for crying out loud Bella.

"Well it can be for sure, but it's rewarding." He said. "Bella tells me you like cars?"

"Yes, I'm rebuilding one. I love learning more about them. Right now, that is a minor obsession of mine. Do you like that stuff?" She said.

"Yeah, I don't have a project or anything, but I have always liked cars. What kind are you fixing?" He said sounding interested.

"It's a '72 Camaro. It's not in too bad of shape. I'm having fun with it." She said casually.

"I'd love to see that. I've always loved Camaro's. You'll have to drive it over when it's street ready." He paused for a minute. We all continued to eat. "So, you go out with any boys at school?"

"Dad." I protested.

"It's ok, I was. We broke up recently. We just weren't meant to be." She said.

"Sorry to hear that." He said.

"It's ok, my heart wasn't really in it. It's been somewhere else really. So, it was good. We are still friends." She said looking to me. I felt a flutter inside me. I couldn't help but feel excited, wondering if it were possible.

"Got eyes for another boy then, well good. You don't need to be serious at this age. Just have fun." He said.

"Dad." I protested his advice, why did he feel the need to do that.

"It's ok, Bella." She smiled at me reassuringly.

"So, what movie are you girls going to see tonight?" He asked being chatty.

"We are going to see Paranormal Conjuring. It's a scary movie, I hope that's ok with you, Bella." She turned to me in her last statement. She seemed so sweet here, she was like the perfect girl next door. Charlie must have noticed too. He was being so talkative and seemed interested.

"That should be fine. I usually get pretty nervous during them, but I should be ok." I smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll be there in case you get scared." She said giving me a wink.

I was suddenly nervous that Charlie would know that our relationship hadn't been completely platonic. I was so aware of our body language, noticing subtle cues and gestures. The wink made me nervous, could he tell? I wondered how he would feel if he knew my feelings for her, I wondered how he would feel knowing his daughter thought she was gay. I tried to push the thoughts out of my head.

"Rosalie here seems like a good friend, you should be fine." He said. There was a moment of awkward silence. I'm sure I made it awkward. Rosalie just smiled and went back to fake eating her food.

"So, I hear you like to fish? What sorts of catches do you get around here?" She asked after the silence lasted too long. If he wasn't ready to adopt her before, he was now. She was pulling out all of the stops with him. I wondered why she cared so much about making him like her, she had never cared about a human's interests before this.

"Depends on where you go around here. I've been known to catch a trout or two. I brought some home for Bella to make dinner with just a few weeks ago. You fish?" He asked seeming surprised.

"It's been a while since I have been. My father liked to fish, I used to go with him some. That was in New York though." She said.

"I want to take a little trip up north a bit and try my luck up there." He said finishing his plate. "Well, I'm stuffed." He pushed his plate back. I got up and grabbed it and put it in the sink. Rosalie followed with her plate.

"We should go, we don't want to be late." Rosalie said casually.

"You girls have fun." He said getting up with his beer and going to the couch.

"Thanks, it was nice meeting you." Rosalie said angelically.

After I washed the dishes we made our way out of the house. I was nervous again, knowing I was going to be alone with Rosalie in the car. We hadn't really been alone like this since before I was taken. Since before I messed everything up. I just hoped I could keep it together and not repeat what happened before.

When we got to Rosalie's Red BMW she walked with me to the passenger side, that kind of caught me off guard. I worried that she wanted me to drive for a minute, but she had never done that. She slid past me and grabbed the door handle, I started to change directions, thinking that was what she wanted.

"Bella." She said. When I turned back around she was gesturing for me to get in the passenger side. She as holding the door open for me. I was already making a fool of myself. Good start Bella, good start.

I got in the car and she closed the door behind me, and walked to the other side of the car a little quickly. I was noticing her a little more as she walked around. I couldn't believe how gorgeous she looked. Well, I could, she was a goddess, how could I expect her to be anything less than gorgeous?


	40. Chapter 40

Author's note:

I was really happy with this chapter, actually. I felt unsure about how I was going to write this, but I really liked the way it turned out. This chapter finishes up the date and becomes the start to a good thing. So expect some Rosella for sure. I tried to add some of Bella's thoughts about the date as it's happening. I could imagine that she would have been slightly clueless, but super nervous when she realized it was a date. I have been enjoying writing the next few chapters, most of which are pretty light hearted. I'm going to slow life down just a bit. This slow burn is still slow, but its starting to simmer. There will be more conflict, but I figure we should just let them develop and let romance grow a little. That you for all of your feedback! I love reading your reviews! I hope you are happy with the way the rest of this date turns out. Enjoy.

Chapter 40- Kiss It Better

"So that went well, I think." Rosalie said just before she started her car. As soon as she did the sporty BMW roared to life. All of her cars were modified, making them pretty strong sounding. This little convertible was no exception.

"What do you mean?" I said a little confused.

"Meeting your father. I was nervous about it, but I think it went well." She said.

"You were nervous?" I asked dumbfounded. She was so confident and collected at dinner. I thought she was perfect, hell, I worried my Dad would want to trade me in for her.

"Yeah, well I've never really had to do that. Well, I did once, but I wasn't concerned with impressing them. That was years ago though, when I was human." She said smiling. She seemed especially happy tonight. It was interesting to see her like this and it made me happy. I wanted to keep her like this, I wondered why she was so excited and happy to begin with.

"You didn't seem nervous, you were perfect actually. I've never seen him talk that much." I said. "Why did you want to have dinner with him anyways?"

"I just want to do things right. He means a lot to you, you know? I want to get to know him and hopefully have him like me." She said looking at me with a sincere expression, after she finished she redirected her attention to the road. She fidgeted slightly with her hands on the top of the wheel.

"Do what right?" I asked dumbly.

"This night, and just things in general with you." She said still focused on driving. I could tell she was slightly nervous, but I didn't ask her why.

Was she talking about what I thought she was? Or was I taking things wrong? I felt excitement swell up inside me. I had gotten so used to telling myself she wasn't interested in me that I wasn't sure what to think. I decided not to ask her about it, I didn't know if I wanted to know. I resolved to be myself and let things play out. If things were meant to be, they would be. I told myself that, but my nerves still betrayed me.

"So, we are going to the movie and then is that it? Did you want to do anything else after?" I asked changing the conversation.

"Well, the movie is at nine-thirty. After that I thought we could come back this way. I do have plans for after though."

"Oh ok. What is it?" I asked feeling excited to be spending more time with her than I had thought.

"I figured you might want to walk along the beach a little. I will be dark, but there is something comforting about the waves still." She said.

"That will be fun, thanks for taking me out. It's nice to spend time with you again, after everything that happened, I wasn't sure we would get to much." I said feeling appreciative that she wanted to spend time with me.

"I should thank you for letting me." She said politely.

Our conversation was a little awkward, probably because of me. I figured it was because I was nervous now. Before everything happened, I was so natural with her, and she with me. She seemed to still be natural on her part now. I had made a deal with myself just a few moments before, that I would be natural. So, I tried to think of something to talk about. Then the thought occurred to me, it was nice just to sit with her and listen to music. We didn't always need to fill the silence, so I didn't.

We drove the rest of the way just listening to music. It wasn't too long until we got to Port Angeles, not with the way Rosalie drove. She played a mix of music, and I loved it all. I loved her taste in music, though there were many songs in her playlist I didn't know. I kept noticing her as she drove. I tried not to be obvious about it, but I couldn't help but watch her. Everything she did was beautiful. She caught me one time, but I just looked away, pretending it was no big deal.

She parked in a lot about a block away from the theater in an almost empty lot. Had I not felt confident in our ability to defend ourselves, I might have been nervous. She shut off the car and turned to look at me.

"Well, are you ready to do this?" She said smiling. I couldn't get used to her smiling. Every time I saw it I couldn't help but smile back. I tried to play it off so I didn't look like an idiot.

"I'm pretty sure I can handle it." I said laughing.

"Good, it would be a shame for a vampire to be scared of a movie." She said teasing.

"Shut up, I'll be fine." I said.

We got out of the car and walked side by side to the theater. It was quiet, just a few other couples here and there. The Theater was an old fashioned looking one, the kind that had tall lights with side by side white signs showing the movie titles. When we approached the box office she told the man the movie and paid for our tickets. I protested and offered to pay, but she all but ignored my request. She waved me off without looking. When the man handed us the tickets she held onto them.

"I could have paid for mine." I complained. She didn't have to do that. She was already treating me to a nice night.

"What kind of date would I be if I let you pay?" She said with a smirk. Holy mother of all that is good, was this actually a date?

She held the door open for me as we walked into the theater. We made our way to the right screen and found our seats. I had been quiet since that last comment, not really knowing what to say. I guess it was a date. I had just become the luckiest girl in the world, I was on a date with Rosalie Hale. My thoughts were mostly stuck on that. I retraced the dinner with my father and our conversation in the car. I felt kind of dumb for not seeing it, but how could I? The way things had played out before led me to believe I would never be doing this. I didn't think I would see the day that she and I would be on a date. A date that she asked me out on. I was more nervous now than ever. She leaned over to talk to me before the movie started.

"You know, the last time I saw a movie in theaters had to be years ago. I used to love going to movies back in the golden age of film." She said lowly. I was so happy that she broke me out of my spiraling thoughts. I needed that jolt back to reality.

"When was the golden age of film?" I asked trying to keep up conversation and seem normal.

"It ended in the sixties, so before then. There was something romantic about cinema back then." She said.

"There is still something romantic about it." I said casually. I thought I could try my hand at flirting. I mean if its a date, why not?

She smiled at my comment and sat back up straight. The previews started, most of them about more scary movies to come out in the future. I wasn't even paying attention to them, I was thinking about the goddess next to me. I felt a strange tension between us, but we were not even touching. I was drawn to her.

Once the movie started I started to actually pay attention to the screen. I'm sure any other rational being would have thought the movie was dumb, but I was on the edge of my seat. Knowing danger was coming for the main star I grabbed the armrest tightly. I heard a loud crack when the creepy ghost like body of a child appeared. I had cracked the armrest. Everyone around us turned at the sound. I was immediately embarrassed.

Rosalie looked down to see what I did and laughed. I guess I wasn't doing as well as I had hoped. The next scene had my nerves high as well. I gripped the broken armrest with my eyes glued to the screen. Suddenly I felt the gentle touch of Rosalie's hand on mine and I relaxed. She scooped up my hand in hers and allowed me to grip her instead.

The only thing was, I missed the next scary moment in complete distraction by the electric touch of her. I pretended to be casual about it, but all of my attention was focused on the touch she gave me. Her fingers had become intertwined in mine. It was the best thing to happen to me since our kiss, but it was so much better, having known she started it.

I gripped her hand firmly a few times during the rest of the movie. I had become comfortable with her hand in mine after a while. It just felt right when she held my hand. After the credits began to play she didn't loosen her grip on my hand. We sat through about half of the credits, in a comfortable silence until she stood up. Her hand let go of mine when she did. I wished I could turn back time and experience it all again.

I followed her out into the lobby, the concessions had shut down and the lobby was almost vacant.

"So, you will be fine, huh? You almost ripped the armrest off." She teased.

"I might have overestimated my ability to sit through a horror movie. You have to admit that was pretty scary though!" I said defending myself and my dignity.

"Maybe for a fragile vampire like yourself." She said with a smirk. She was so adorable when she was a smart ass.

"It was alright." She after a brief minute. I rolled my eyes at her. I was enjoying our playful banter.

We walked side by side again to the car, on the way we talked about the movie and other horror films I had seen. I told her the ones that I thought were the worst and the best. Most of them were the types of movies that you see in high school of middle school in groups. You would never go to them alone, only with a group of friends to overreact with. She told me she hadn't seen a ton of them since the old ones. She told me about a few, I had to admit I hadn't heard of many of them. I figured she could show me them, so I told her that. She seemed happy at me planning future movie dates. I updated her on which ones to watch. I made her promised to watch a few with me, telling her I still get scared when I see them. She told me she would if it meant I wouldn't hurt any more furniture.

"I didn't grip your hand too hard anyways." I said stated the obvious, thinking I had done better once she held my hand.

"You gave my skin a small crack or two. Nothing I couldn't handle though." She said as we reached the car.

"No, I didn't! Stop it. I'll feel horrible if I…" Rosalie stopped me by showing me her hand. "I…am…So sorry!" I said shocked.

"It's ok, just a battle wound from an enjoyable date." She said flashing a small smile and looking down at the ground as we walked.

"I wish I didn't hurt you though." I said looking down too. She gently reached for my hand as we walked and grasped it. If I had a heart it would have skipped a beat for sure. I was trying to hide my smile and act like the calm and confident woman I was supposed to be.

"This makes it a little better." She said.

We reached the car still holding hands, my inner self busting at the seams with excitement. I had never felt so excited to be touching anyone. I almost didn't want to get in the car because it meant loosing that connection with her. She opened the car door for me and closed it after I got in, and within a second she sped to get in the other side. We both looked at each other and gave a small smile, I think both of us were still nervous and excited about all of this. When she started the car, she switched on the music and we listened to her mix again.

"So now we are heading to the beach to walk?" I asked as we drove away from the vacant lot.

"Yep, I also packed us a picnic. I wanted this to be as close to the real thing as possible." She said.

"I have to ask, what changed?" I asked wanting to know why she cared about me romantically now. The last time we were alone she wasn't married and uninterested.

She didn't answer me right away, she just looked at the road ahead of us. Even in this moment, feeling slightly tense about her answer, I couldn't help but admire her. I would not have been able to see her as just a friend if I tried. I was glad that she seemed to want me, but I was just confused and I didn't want to get my hopes up again. I reminded myself again that I shouldn't stress and that I should be confident. I straightened up my posture a little at the thought, trying to appear emotionally strong.

"It has taken a lot for me to be ok with being happy. I know I might be too late, but I am hoping that I'm not. I planned to talk to you about it over our picnic, I planned to apologize for everything." She said breaking me out of my thoughts. She sounded so serious.

"You mean too late for me…" I said understanding her meaning.

"Yeah, I don't like to feel attached. I have felt that before and it didn't end well. I think Emmett was a sort of safety for me. A good friend that cared for me, but didn't threaten to breach my heart. I think I have always been attracted to women, and that thought has always frightened me." She said softly.

We drove in silence, only the music playing low the rest of the drive. I wished I had a response for her, but nothing seemed to fit. How could I tell her it wasn't scary, when I myself was still dealing with some of that? I hadn't told my father, or anyone aside from Alice for that matter. I had no advice, I was living a similar story. I did know that I cared about her and I did understand her fear. I wondered who she had let in and how they hurt her.

So many thoughts invaded my mind, but none that could help me with talking to her. I had resolved to sit in silence. Hoping the drive would sooth long lost heartbreaks.

When we arrived at the beach we parked off the road. The whole area seemed to be deserted and that was somehow comforting. I wanted to be alone with her, I wanted this night to be just us. She grabbed a blanket and a basket from the trunk. She looked like she could be straight out of the fifties with the blanket and basket looking the way they did.

As we walked I noticed her hand was absent from mine. I worried that it was because of our conversation and my lack of a response. I reached out for her hand and my fingers found their place intertwined in hers. I looked to see her response, she was giving out a small smile. I was thankful and relieved that it was a good move, silently proud of myself for making that move.

When we reached a good spot, she stopped us. I watched as she spread out the checkered blanket she held and set the basket down. She motioned for me to sit and I did. She took her spot next to me and grabbed out our things. She had made us food, I was so surprised at her thoughtfulness. I was a little confused when I saw a liquid that was blue.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Let's see, I brought us some red wine…" she said pulling that out of the basket, along with two glasses. "and I made us this soup, it's made with Octopus blood. I thought you might like to try it, it's something different. Finally, I made us Zebra blood pudding, from aged zebra blood." She said pulling out another container. The pudding was so dark it was almost black.

"This looks amazing!" I said so surprised by all of it, especially the fact that I said zebra blood pudding looked amazing. She had put a lot of effort into this and that made me feel good. I wondered how long it took to make it.

"Well, I am starving, are you hungry?" She asked opening the container of soup. Instantly my throat burned at the smell of it. It smelled incredible.

"I am now, I would love some." I said lightly.

She handed me my own container and a spoon. I was about to drink it like the left over mild at the end of morning cereal, but we were on a date. I guessed that wouldn't be super romantic. I decided to use the spoon. No one thinks that blood running down the sides of the face is attractive. Well, I'm sure most people don't anyways.

The blood was even better than it smelled. It was like nothing I had had, completely different from mammal blood. I would have to have her make more of it.

"This is so freaking good; how did you make this?" I asked amazed at the flavor.

"I just simmered it in a few spices, once it was done I filtered out the bits of spices and this is what we were left with. It turned out better than I had hoped." She said then she sipped some more.

After we finished out soup we both sat back and put our feet out in front of us. I sipped my wine almost in sync with her. We both watched the stars and the waves like they were giving us our own personal show. I could hear the sounds of birds far off int he distance, softly singing. The winds touch our faces and blew our hair just slightly. Enough to feel relaxed. It was perfect, everything was perfect.

"I do care about you, more than I ever imagined I could care about another person." She said breaking the silence.

"I care about you a lot too. What happened for you to feel that way?" I asked.

"I knew I cared about you, I was just scared. I was in a marriage, and a long one at that. I could hardly remember a time when I wasn't with him. I wished I had met you before, maybe things would have gone smoother. Maybe I could have been the person you deserved to care about. Instead I was this...well, definitely not someone worthy of you." She said looking down at the glass in her hand. When she finished speaking she took another drink.

"You are a goddess, I mean…How could you ever think that I deserve better?" I asked dumbfounded that she thought that. I couldn't believe she actually believed that.

"I'm a mess Bella. I'm a complete mess. I have a hard time with letting people in, I kissed you while I was with someone else, I don't know how to be with a woman, I could barely control my temper when we met…the point is, you make me want to let you in. You have somehow gotten underneath my skin, but in the best way. I really think I am falling for you and I want to be the best I can be because I care about you." She said, making herself vulnerable. I could tell it made her uncomfortable to be that way.

"I like everything that you are. You see all of those things you mentioned, but I see so much more." I said putting my hand on her leg to comfort her. I saw her eyes look to my hand on her leg. Feeling like it was the right thing to do, I kept my hand there. I wondered what she was thinking.

"Well, I didn't expect to get this deep. I just wanted you to know how I feel. I understand if it is too late, I swear we can be fr…"

"Shut up Rose." I said cutting her off. I was growing tired of her thinking that I had moved on, thinking that I wouldn't want her anymore. I suddenly had more confidence in me than I think I had ever had. I knew she liked me, I knew she was insecure and vulnerable. I wanted to show her that I cared, that I wanted her.

I set my glass of wine down beside me and reached up my hand to her chin. I leaned in and turned her face gently to face mine. In one swift motion, I met her lips with mine. Our motion stopped and the world all but stood still. Everything around us had faded. I no longer heard the sounds of the waves or the wind. In that moment, it was only her and I in existence.

Finally, our bodies regained motion, our lips parted, but were close. We lingered on the edge for what felt like an eternity, teasing the universe with another kiss. Her lips moved the distance and met mine. Mine countered and so it went, back and forth, each motion given a counter by the other. Passion was high and our circumstances had robbed us of the ability to show each other this before. We were intent on making up for that lost time.

Things settled down after a while, and we decided that we were fine with our lips being apart. I sighed and she relaxed back. I looked away hiding my smile. I had no doubt she was doing the same. Everything was perfect, and I decided that I didn't want to leave this place ever. I could stay here, in this moment with her and let the world move on around us. I didn't care.

"Well, that was…erm…" Rosalie said laughing nervously. She wiped her lip after she said it.

"I think I get what you mean." I said laughing as well.

We eventually started talking again, and when I say that, I mean coherently. Not the post kiss babbling we did at first. We had the type of conversation that we would have had before all of this mess had happened, back when we were the best of friends. The only difference between then and now, I got to hold her hand while we talked. That little detail made my entire world different.

* * *

So? Let me know what you thought! I plan on writing more dates, if you have any ideas of dates you would like to see I would love to hear it. I do have a few ideas though :) Stay tuned and keep reviewing!

-Ashley


	41. Chapter 41

Author's note:

Hey everyone! Its been a minute since I updated, I got a puppy and have been so distracted with all the training that comes with it. Thanks for the feedback, I figured I would update and write some tonight. I hope you are enjoying it!

Chapter 41- Training Day

She drove me back to my place just before the sun came up. I didn't want to be gone still when Charlie woke up, even though I didn't want to leave her. She walked me to the door and gave me another earth shattering kiss.

When I went to my room, I was practically floating. Everything in my life seemed right, and I couldn't help but smile. We had made plans to train later on in the day, but for now all I had to do was wait and act normal. That is what I did, I pretended to be sleepy when I walked down stairs and made breakfast for Charlie and I. He was already at the table with coffee in hand. He always read the paper in the morning, today was no different.

"Morning, Bells." He said gruffly.

"Hey dad. How did you sleep?" I asked in a sleepy voice.

"Pretty good. I didn't hear you come in last night."

I put two skillets on the stove top, fired it up and plopped some butter in the first pan. I cooked the same thing every morning. In one skillet, I cooked bacon and in the other eggs. When that was down I plated our food, and brought it to the table. I grabbed myself some coffee and pretended to sip on it.

"Well, I was out kind of late. We went for a walk after the movie." I said in the middle of my moving around. I grabbed myself some coffee, took my seat and pretended to sip on it.

"Two girls out walking late at night? That's dangerous Bells." He said.

"We were careful, how did you like her anyways?" I asked taking a fake sip.

"I liked her, sweet girl." He said, not giving me much to go off of.

"Did you like her better than Kate?" I asked after a minute.

"Well, I thought they were both nice. I think I had more to talk about with Rosalie." He said not looking up from his paper. I thought for another minute. I was a little annoyed that he wasn't the chatty man he was last night. I wanted to know more details than he was offering.

"What about Edward?" I asked.

"What?" He said looking up from his paper.

"Do you like her more than Edward?" I asked awkwardly. He folded over the paper he was reading and set it on the table. His face wore confusion at first, but after a moment of thought he relaxed.

"I didn't like Edward, not so much him, but the way you were with him. I don't know this Rosalie very well, but she seems like a decent person." He waited a minute before continuing. "Is there a reason that my opinion means so much to you about her?" He leaned in a little with that question.

"I was just curious. That's all." I felt awkward that he might react poorly if he knew, I didn't have the courage to tell him.

After breakfast, I went back over to the Cullen's in my old truck. I made sure I looked the best I could before going, I was a little nervous to see her again. The last night had felt like a dream, it was almost too perfect to be reality.

When I got the Alice met me at the door with a big grin on her face.

"You and I need to talk." She said hooking my arm in hers and dragging me away from the house. When she was satisfied with how deep into the woods we were she started with her questions. "So, tell me everything! Was it everything you thought it would be? Are you two dating now? I just want to hear all about it. We could still be sisters! If you two get married then…"

"Whoa! Alice! I don't even know what we are! I don't want to get too caught up in the what if's anyways." I said cutting her off. Her face fell a little and became slightly serious.

"Fine. I guess we will just have to see. When you do tie the knot, make sure I am your maid of honor. I can't wait to plan another wedding!" She said getting excited again.

"Alice! Settle down. We went on one date." I said putting my hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her.

"Fine! Just remember me when you do and you need someone to plan it." She said with a mock attitude. She walked away and back towards the house.

I rolled my eyes at her and sighed after she left. I quickly caught up to her after that. Once we were back at their house I went in and greeted my family. Esme gave me a hug as she always did. Emmett was in the living room with Jasper, they were playing video games, as per usual. I went to pass them to go up to find Rosalie, but Emmett caught my attention.

"Hey Bells!"

"Hey Em, how's it going?" I asked feeling awkward.

"Hey…erm, I just wanted you to know that I am leaving for a while." He said looking up at me from his seated position in front of the couch.

"Why? Where?" I asked.

"I want to back pack a little bit, see the world and all that. I am leaving later tonight, so I just wanted to make sure you knew. I want to say good-bye to you." He said.

"Aw, Em, I'll be here. I will miss you around here." I said sadly.

"I'll miss you too buddy. I was thinking that we could do a few things today, like family stuff before I leave?" He said.

"Like what? I mean, sure, I'd love to." I said.

"Well, I don't know, but I'll figure out some stuff." He said.

"Ok, just let me know." I said as I started to go up the stairs.

I went to Rosalie's door. I gave it a little knock and heard the most beautiful voice answer, telling me to come in. When I opened the door, she was on her bed on her computer. She was laying on her stomach with her feet in the air behind her, head phones and music playing. She sat up and moved to sit on her rear when she saw it was me. She quickly removed her head phones, I could tell she wasn't expecting me to be there so early.

"Hey, I didn't think you'd be here yet." She said straightening her hair quickly.

"Yeah, I didn't have anything else to do today, so I figured we should get started." I said still standing in the doorway.

She got up from the bed and came over to me without saying anything else. She stood so close to me when she stopped, I thought she might kiss me. I wasn't sure how to act.

"I really enjoyed last night with you." She said in a low whisper.

"It was the best date I have ever had." I whispered back. She leaned in so close that I thought her lips were going to touch mine. My lips parted slightly in anticipation. Suddenly the sound of a throat clearing stopped that from happening. Rosalie all but jumped back from me and turned away, trying to be casual about it all. Kate stood in the hall, arms crossed.

"Are we ready to train? Or should I come back?" She said with a smirk.

"I'm ready." I said looking to Rosalie, she was turned slightly, her right hand rubbing her neck. I could tell she felt awkward about it all. I saw her roll her eyes in response to Kate, but she didn't say anything.

We went just outside the house this time, I had a feeling Kate had a plan. She seemed determined and a bit more serious today. When we were just outside the garage she stopped and turned to face us, hand on her hips.

"Ok, I hope we can get a lot done today. Have you practiced anymore?" She asked looking to me.

"Not really, no." I said feeling guilty.

"That's fine, just try to practice with small things." She said.

"So, what are we doing today?" Rosalie asked a little confused. Kate smiled at her question.

"I am going to shock you and she is going to stop me by throwing me off of you." Kate said pointing to us while she talked.

"I'm not going to do that, I could crack you or something." I said stuttering a little.

"I'm not fragile, I'll be fine." She put her hand on my shoulder when she said that and winked at the end. I heard a very short low growl from Rosalie. I looked at her in surprise. She just looked away quickly, I'm not sure that she even meant to growl out loud. It was kind of cute. Kate looked at her too, but continued. "…ok…Let's do this."

She had me stand back a little before she attempted to do anything to Rosalie. I tried to remember what to do, how to will her off of Rose, like and extension of my arm pushing her. Kate put her hand on Rosalie's shoulder and instantly Rosalie grimaced. She bent over in pain, clutching Kate's hand in reaction. I focused and willed her to move off of my Rose. Nothing happened. Kate didn't let up, it was starting to really make me upset. Why couldn't she just stop?

"Stop it!" I shouted when enough time had passed. Kate let off of her.

"You really have to focus on me moving. Don't focus on trying to get your ability to work, just focus on me moving away." She said and then touched Rose again. I could tell the force she was using was stronger, Rosalie could barely stand. I was so angry that she was putting her through that, I could see pain in her face. It drove me crazy to see her hurting.

"Stop it!" I said shouting. When I shouted I envisioned Kate flying off of her. I actually made it happen! Kate shot off of her like she was near an explosion. She went flying into a tree, hit it hard with her back and fell to the ground. I was relieved to have Rose away from the pain, but I instantly felt bad about Kate.

"Oh my god! Are you ok?" I said running to her.

She got up slowly, her hair all a mess. Her clothes were caked with dirt from her hard landing. She seemed to be fine, I watched as she cracked her neck and responded.

"Yep. Good." She said shortly. The look on her face wasn't 'good' she seemed out of it and a little shocked.

"I'm sorry…" I said trying to help her brush off the dirt.

"She's fine, Bella." Rosalie said.

"Can we do something that won't hurt you two?" I asked hoping I could stop feeling guilty during training.

"Erm, yeah. Let me think." Kate said rubbing her neck. "I guess we could try a similar concept to the pencil. Maybe something bigger?" She said looking around. "Ah, why don't you try moving that car?" She said looking to one of Rosalie's babies.

I looked to Rose, her jaw was dropped. She looked back at me in horror for a brief second. I shook my head as if to say no.

"Not a chance, those are her babies." I said in response.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Kate said, still brushing dirt off of her.

"That!" Rosalie said pointing to Kate's clothes.

"You won't let that happen, right Bella? You do care about her things, and about her feelings. You won't hurt her precious car. It will give you incentive to be more in control."

Kate went over to the vehicle and knelt down to reach under the frame of the car. It was her 'cuda, there was no way Rose wasn't internally freaking out. Once Kate had a grip under the car she began to lift the car. She had it lifted slightly on its side, on the right two tires remained on the ground.

"Ok, so just make sure it doesn't roll over." She said as she gave a big pull with her arms, causing the car to tip over more, she let go. I could see that the car was going to tip over on its driver door, I had but a split second to think. I was so scared I really didn't think.

Before I knew it, I saw the car completely in the air. I had panicked and lifted it up to avoid it crashing on its side. I could feel myself willing it to stay afloat. I had no idea what to do, it took little effort to keep it up, but I worried that I could drop it easily. Rosalie was watching through hands over her eyes, her fingers allowing little slits to view the situation.

"I think I got this, Rose." I said nervously.

Before she could answer I moved my arm slowly to the ground, visualizing the car moving with it. I was able to bring it down to its original position with barely a hitch. I did let it drop just a little hard from just above the ground, but it was hardly anything. I was instantly happy when the car bouncing and rattled from hitting the ground safe and sound. I turned to and ran to Rose, Kissing her cheek in excitement.

"Hey! Where's mine? I trained you!" Kate said with a wink.

"You'll survive." Rosalie said to Kate with a smirk that told her I was hers. I knew Kate was joking, but I guess Rose wasn't taking chances.

We went out a little bit farther into the woods after that. Kate had me mostly practice with logs and rocks. By the time we finished I was starting to feel pretty good about lifting objects on command. The part I struggled with was controlling them in the air or bringing them to me. It took a lot of effort to bring an object to me, rather than just lift it in one place. I did it a couple of times, but it was really hard and not as smooth as I would have liked.

We made our way back, Rosalie had said she had an idea and wanted to bring it up with the boys. I knew she was up to no good, but I just went with it. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and ran slightly ahead to talk to the family. Kate and I walked together back to the house.

"So, what was that about? You two hooking up now?" Kate said cocking her brow.

"What? No, I mean…not yet." I shook my head.

"Forgive me, but it's a big change from the two kids who didn't want to act like they had crushes on each other I saw in the forest the other day." She said teasing.

"We seemed like that?" I asked a little shocked.

"Yeah, totally. It was like watching two awkward teenagers try to be perfect around each other." She said.

"Well, I guess it's different because we went on a date last night." I said shyly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear as I spoke.

"I knew that, I was there when she asked you. I wasn't sure if she had the lady balls to actually treat it like a date though." She said laughing at the end.

"It was so romantic, she brought flowers, made a picnic and held hands with me. It was really nice." I said thinking back and smiling.

"I'm glad to hear it, so you guys didn't secure the deal?" She asked elbowing my side.

"No, I mean we kissed, and it was incredible, but no." I said feeling like a child for not having gone further.

"That's ok, it's just pretty common for vamps to sleep around. It's probably good you two didn't, take it slow, ya know?" She said.

"Yeah, it was incredible though." I said trying to avoid talking about sex. I hadn't completely thought of that aspect. Not that I didn't feel that way for her, I just hadn't considered the logistics of it all. It made me nervous to even imagine it. I wasn't the most graceful person on the planet, I would probably trip, slip or do something to mess it up.

"I'm happy for you, kid. She is smoking too; baby Bella is all grown up now." She said giving me another elbow to my side. I just laughed.

When we got inside the boys were setting up a large oval table in the living room. Jasper carried out a silver case and opened it on the table after Emmett had made it stable. The boys pulled out large stacks of chips from the case and separated them into piles. Rosalie came walking back in from the kitchen with Alice, she met eyes with me and gave an evil smile. I understood what was happening. It was the famed poker game. I knew from the look on her face, she was planning for me to win.


	42. Chapter 42

Author's Note:

Hey everyone, here is another update! I'm doing some more writing tonight too, so hopefully more to come. I meant to say this yesterday, whoever did the comment about Emmett...I died laughing. I have no idea why my brain wants to spell it that way! Either way, hella funny. Thanks for the feedback, from everyone. Let me know what you think of this!

Chapter 42- Poker Face

(Rosalie's POV)

"Alright, we each have our own chips, last one standing wins." Emmett said as he shuffled the cards.

"Last chance, do you need us to go over any rules?" Jasper asked to Bella.

"I think I'm fine. My dad likes Poker, I think I know most of it." She said slyly.

"No mercy then!" Emmett said cocking his brow just before he started to pass out the cards.

"You are the one who needs mercy." I said with a smile.

It was Emmett, Jasper, Kate, Bella and I at the table. Alice watched but no one ever let her play, for obvious reasons.

"So, what are the stakes? A two hundred thousand each like last time?" Emmett spoke up. I looked at Bella, she looked shocked. I knew she didn't have more than two hundred in her bank account.

"Don't worry Bella, I'll cover for you" I said, probably too confidently. I had a way of flaunting my money like no one's business. I didn't mean to, I was just proud of my investments over the years.

"Oh no way, that's not happening. You will not cover for me. Alice and I can just hang out and watch you guys play" She said.

"Orrrrrr, I have a better idea!" Alice danced over to the table, a devilish grin appearing on her face.

"And what would that be, my princess?" Jasper spoke up as Alice sat on his lap.

"I think that you guys have been playing this game wrong all these years, it's so boring when all of you have enormous bank accounts! Let's play it my way." Alice said winking at me, I knew she was up to no good.

"So, back in college in '93, we played strip poker with a twist. Every time someone wins a round, the person of their choosing has to take a shot of tequila, or take a clothing item off. You raise by upping the shots or amount of clothing. You are either too naked or too drunk to play to get knocked out." Alice finished in a sing song-y voice. I looked to Bella, and she looked like she was going to throw up already.

"No way in vampire hell am I going to get naked in front of all of you!" Bella said, a bit scared it seemed like.

"Aw come on Bells! Don't be like that! You've got a hellova nice body! I'd love to see that down in some underwear!" Emmett and Jasper started laughing hysterically, I didn't find it funny at all. I snarled my teeth at him.

"If Bella is uncomfortable with it, then we are not doing it. End of story, we can find something else to do tonight." I said, trying to reel in my anger.

"Bella, it won't be that bad, we will be drunk anyways. C'mon, it's not like you don't know how to play, your daddy taught you! Didn't he? Or did he never let you play with the big boys?" Emmett said with a wink.

"Fine, fine. Alright. I'll play." Bella said, giving up. She looked at me and gave me a small smile, I knew that she thought she would win this. Goddess, she didn't know what she was in for. The night at the casino was child's play. This was a whole other ball park. I wasn't going to tell her, it wasn't like I didn't want to see that body any less than the boys. But I wasn't going to admit that to anyone.

"Oh great! I'll go get the tequila!" Alice bounced off of Jaspers lap with a smile, running into the kitchen.

She had grabbed 3 bottles of tequila and 5 shot glasses, I guess she was going to be drinking as well. We all sat down, and Alice agreed if she could at least watch at the table, she wouldn't cheat and she would take Jasper's losses as her own.

The first hand went relatively smoothly, I think that Emmett and Jasper were going easy on Bella. They knew they had her by the flop, but ultimately let her win with just a pair of kings. She chose Emmett to take a shot of tequila first. Smart woman, she knew who her enemy was, and was trying to knock him out before he could get to her.

The second hand, however, I was turning up the heat on the boys just a little bit. I had a queen high flush, and I knew I had Emmett beat. He always does this thing when he is lying, he drags his tongue over his teeth while he is thinking, stupid guy. I raised him by 2 pieces of clothing, and a shot of tequila. He raised me one more shot of tequila, and I took that bet. We showed our cards, and I was astonished. He had a pocket pair of queens. Shit, he had a full house. I took my loss with bitterness, took my two shots of tequila and both of my socks.

"Hey! Socks are one piece of clothing! That doesn't count!" Emmett roared, he was going to take this one all the way to the bank.

"Yeah Rosalie, I think that's cheating." Bella spoke up with a sarcastic tone and a smile. Oh, so now she wants in on this?

"Alright, alright fine." I said with a sigh, taking off my shirt and only in my undershirt now. I HATE losing. Especially when I am trying to get the woman of my dreams in her underwear and beat my ex-husband at his own game at the same time.

Some hands went by, I was a little tipsy from the two shots, but I could handle my liquor pretty well. Jasper and Emmett had both taken off some clothing, Bella had taken three shots and I could tell she was feeling it. I think that the boys secretly didn't want to be the first one to raise her a piece of clothing. Everyone was having a great time, Alice too. She had a couple of shots and was down some pieces of clothing because of Jaspers losses.

Bella and I were the only ones in on this next hand, and it was a good one. I wasn't sure if I had her beat, but I was pretty confident in my skills. I had two 7's in my hand, with two on the board. I knew my hand would beat a flush and a straight, but she was bluffing me pretty well.

"Okay, I will raise you two more pieces of clothing, and another shot. You gonna take that darling?" She said. That made my heart skip a beat, but I wasn't going to fold now.

"I'll take that bet, show me what you have" I said, laying down my cards. She looked wide eyed at my cards, and I knew then that this was going to be good. She her cards down, she had a full house. Bingo. This is your moment Rosalie, just hope that she takes the right clothes off.

She looked at me with this look while she was taking her shots of tequila. Was that cockiness?

The boys and Alice were hooting and hollering as she stood up to take her shirt, undershirt, and socks off. I couldn't stop staring at her, she was so beautiful. I was so distracted, I didn't hear Alice yelling at me to deal the next hand.

"Earth to Rosalie? Rosalie come in?" Alice said, the boys, and even Bella, all rolling in laughter.

I snapped out of it, coming back down from my high. Goddess, this was going to be a long night.

I dealt out the next hand, and it was a horrible one for me. Emmett, Jasper, and Bella were in this one, and the stakes were high.

"Okay boys, I will raise you two more shots of tequila, and three pieces of clothing. Do you really want to do that?" Bella said, taunting them. She was very tipsy at this point, but I loved this side of her. She was so confident and sexy, not her usual cute and nervous self.

"I'll take that bet!" Emmett was on a roll at this point, he had won most of the hands tonight. Jasper folded with a sigh, he hadn't won a single hand tonight.

They both put down their cards at the same time, and Bella had won with a pair of Aces with a king kicker. Emmett looked shocked, he had lost, finally.

"Well played, newbie. Your daddy must have taught you well" He said with a smirk. Taking his shots of tequila, and off with his shirt and cargo shorts. He only had his underwear on at this point, do or die. I wanted to knock him out of this game before Bella got completely naked, no way in hell was I letting my ex see her that way.

The next hands went by, and Jasper and Alice had to take another shot and a few pieces of clothing off. They were both down to their last pieces of clothing as well. I had lost a hand and taken my pants and undershirt off. The only person that had their pants on was Bella, and I was raising the stakes again with this one.

"C'mon, is this really the way you want to go out? Naked and afraid?" I said, feeling cocky as the tequila coursed through my dead veins.

"Well, I'm positive you wouldn't mind one bit, Rosalie. But I'm not losing this one, you are, sweetheart." Bella replied, looking at me with the most lust filled look I had ever seen in my life. Goddess, she was hot as hell.

"Girls! Girls! Let's calm down! Show your cards!" Emmett said, trying to hurry this hand up. I could tell he was eager to get back in the game.

I showed mine as she showed hers, and I had won once again. She was bluffing the entire time, and I had known it. I think she was doing this on purpose, but I couldn't be sure. She was feeling more and more confident now that she had shots in her. I think she wanted to take her pants off to tease me, she was looking at me with these eyes all night. I couldn't help myself, I had to give in and do something about it. I was feeling some of the booze myself though.

The next few hands went quickly, and Jasper and Alice had surrendered instead of getting naked in front of everyone.

Kate was in the game, but she had been losing a lot just like Jasper had before. She was down to her bra and panties. Bella folded right away, but Emmett and I stayed and raised. Kate seemed confident but when the cards were shown she didn't have what it took to keep her clothes on. I knew I wanted Emmett saved for last so I chose her. She took her shots and brought her hands under the table. She wiggled a little and brought her right hand back up. She dropped her lace undies on the table with confidence and then sat back again in her chair.

"Really, straight for those?" I said with attitude.

"I'm not afraid to show a little skin." She said shrugging her shoulders.

After a couple more rounds Kate was out. She didn't dare take off her bra, instead she bowed out. I was surprised to see her reach for Emmett's shirt and sweat pants behind where she was sitting. She put it all on and watched the rest of the game.

Emmett was completely in on this round, he only had his boxers to lose so I knew he had a good hand. Bella didn't even notice him say he was all in, or if she did, it didn't faze her. She was still in her bra and panties. My clothing matched hers and I wasn't about to have my bra taken off in front of my ex and my new…whatever she was. I folded my hand.

Bella said she would raise him two shots. He agreed right away, giving her a wink. I felt a grumble in my chest creep up before I could stop it. I noticed Alice rolling her eyes at my reaction. I knew he was harmless, but I was getting pretty protective of her.

"Show 'em." He said throwing down his cards. He had a flush of spades.

"I saw Bella's smirk fall when she registered his hand. She showed her cards slowly, she had a straight. Emmett had just bested her and my fears had come true. She owed her last two pieces of clothing and two shots. She wore a smug look on her face for a minute. Her right hand still held her cards but she let her left hand raise close to her face. She opened her hand, her eyes moved to me. She had a serious look on her face. It was almost intimidating.

All of a sudden her shot glass, full of tequila met her hand in the air. She looked at me as she grasped it and took the shot. The whole action and the look on her face as she stared me down was taunting. She was taunting me, and it was working. She was not just beautiful tonight, she was sexy.

After taking her second shot she went to undo her bra, and I snapped out of my daze. I felt another growl in my chest. Emmett heard it and protested her action.

"Bells, don't worry about it, you played a good game. I'm fine with you just taking the shots." He said.

"Fine. Good game Em." She said sitting back again in her chair.

"As for you though, I'm gonna kick your ass." He said pointing at me.

"You can try, but I think we know how this is going to end." I said to him with attitude.

Alice dealt up the next hand for us. I actually had a good hand, a two pair. I just hoped it would be good enough to beat him. I placed my bets and he did the same. I saw Bella out of the corner of my eye staring at me. She was like another person when she was drinking. She was drunk on confidence and I was liking it.

Emmett put his cards face down. He looked at me with a charming expression.

"So whatcha got, blondie?" He nudged his head when he spoke.

"Blondie? We are jumping on that band wagon now?" I said smugly.

"Ok. What do you have Rosalie." He spoke proper this time.

"Enough to get those pants of your off." I said as I laid my cards out.

"Honey, you didn't need those cards to do that." He said with a playful wink. I shook my head at his immaturity. I am pretty sure that I heard Bella clear her throat a little.

He put down his cards, he only had a pair. I had beat his cocky self in his favorite game. Best of all though, Bella was still somewhat clothed and so was I. He already knew he lost, but he was a good loser. Nothing in life was ever that serious to him. He backed his chair up and stood. He turned around and pulled his boxers down. He jokingly shook his bare ass for all of us and pulled his boxers back up.

"That's all you get! You have to pay if you all want to see more." He said turning back around.

Everyone clapped and laughed when he shook his ass. Jasper Whistled like he was cat calling him.

"We have a new winner." Jasper said motioning to me. I stood up and curtsied as they kept clapping.

I couldn't help but watch Bella as we cleaned up. She was holding her clothes but she hadn't put anything back on. She was still in her bra and undies, to be fair though, I could see she was still slightly intoxicated.

"Hey Rose, can I talk to you for a minute?" She said after the room was back to the way it was before the game.

"Sure. Where do you want to…?" I sort of trailed off at the end.

"Your room maybe?"

We made our way up to my room. I went immediately to my dresser and grabbed out some work out sweats. I felt odd talking to her mostly naked. At least pants would help. She sat down on the bed and held her bundled clothes in her lap. She looked a little uncomfortable.

"Why don't you put those on? You seem uncomfortable." I said pointing to the clothes.

"It's not that. I am just nervous. I was wondering, well, I have been thinking." She said and paused. Her pause was killing me.

"Yes? You were thinking?" I said trying to prompt her.

"Would you want to go out on a date I plan? I have an idea for something I think would be fun. I was just wondering." She said fidgeting.

"Of course!" I said as I came and sat next to her. "Why wouldn't I want to?"

"I don't know, I guess I am still getting used to you wanting to be more than friends."

I put my hand on her leg to comfort her, but the result was more than I bargained for. Her skin was like a drug to me. I moved my finger slightly, wanting to get more of the silky soft surface. Her eyes went down to my hand immediately. We both looked at my hand, it was out there and I couldn't take it back even if I wanted to.

Her eyes moved up from my hand on her lap, she traced my body with her vision until our eyes met. I saw her lips part slightly and that was all I could take. I leaned in and met her perfect mouth with mine. We kissed deeply, and passionately. She climbed on top of my lap, my hands went around her back, holding her close to me. Everything about it was sloppy, messy and amazing. We were both still feeling the effects of the poker game and our embrace showed that.

She bit my lip and slightly tugged it away. I sighed and kissed her more. Eventually I went to kiss her neck, I kissed a line down her neck until I met her collarbone. I heard a grumble in her chest, almost like she was purring for me.

It wasn't long until I came to my senses. I had been in such a daze that I didn't even notice how close we were both coming to losing control over the situation. I slowed our pace and eventually broke our kissing to speak.

"Bella, we need to slow down. I want things to be right here." I said almost breathlessly.

She opened her eyes and I saw the realization hit her face on what just happened.

"God, I'm sorry. I just had a lot to drink." She said sounding embarrassed.

"It's ok, I was really, really enjoying that. I just want to make sure we take things kind of slow." I said trying to make her feel better. She didn't look me in the face, she looked at the floor. I could tell she was still embarrassed. "Seriously, I really like you, and I want things to be right with you. So, when do you want to do this date?"

"Erm, I was planning it for this Saturday night, does that work? It would actually be an afternoon and night date."

"Of course! I'm excited. Where are we going?" I said smiling.

"I can't tell you." She said looking up at me with a smile.

Well, someone was stepping up their game. I was excited to be along for the ride.


	43. Chapter 43

Author's note:

Hey everyone! Glad to see you sticking it out to read more. I know its been a minute since an update, but here it is! A Rosella date, yay! I didn't have my usual spellchecker check this one, so more mistakes will probably be present.(*Ahem* girlfriend, you are slacking.) I'll try to write more tonight, I have plans for this story, just been distracted with ...well...life. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Chapter 43- Butterflies and Memories

(Rosalie's POV)

I anxiously awaited our date, and finally the day had come. I tried to poke around during the week and figure out what her plan was. I even tried to casually bring it up to Alice, acting like I knew to see if she would talk about it. She didn't budge, I guess Bella had told her it was a surprise. All that he could tell me was to dress casually.

To me, that meant a three-quarter length sleeve baseball style shirt. I had that shirt for years, it was my favorite, even though it was just plain white with dark blue sleeves. I wore medium wash jeans and rolled up the bottom cuff a little over my blue converse. Sometimes I liked to dress girly, but if she said casual I wanted to be ready for whatever activity we were doing.

I did my hair in loose curls, did my make-up and made sure everything about me was perfect. I tried my best to look as good as possible and still be casual. I was ready to go about thirty minutes early. I didn't know what to do with myself, I sat on the end of my bed and sighed. What was there to do? Couldn't it just be time already?

I wondered which car we would take, then I got up to go check the BMW's gas. I wanted to make sure we were good to go when she got there.

I was in the garage distracting myself with a little project on the cobra when I heard the doorbell ring. I grew instantly excited, like I was shocked back to the world of the living because she was near. I quickly wiped off my hands and went to meet her at the door. Alice was getting ready to open the door when I arrived.

"I got it!" I said trying to sound calm, but my excitement was hard to hide. I wasn't used to showing so much excitement and emotion, so my instinct was to hide it as best I could. I was awful at it. Alice let her hand go from the door handle and gave me a smirk. She could tell I was a little worked up.

I opened the door not three seconds later to see the face I had been waiting for. A smile invaded my face, I couldn't hide it now. Bella handed me a small bouquet of flowers and greeted me. The whole thing was adorable. I gestured for her to come in, Alice was still nearby.

"Aw, you girls are so cute. Flowers and everything!" She said cheerily. I was slightly embarrassed. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Thanks Alice." Bella said with a shy smile.

"Erm, so are you ready to go?" I said trying to get away from Alice.

"Yeah, we should get going…"

"Hey honey! Oh, look at you, aren't you a sweetheart. What's the occasion?" Esme walked in from the kitchen and spotted the flowers.

"She brought them for me." I said to Esme, trying to calm her down. We didn't need to make a fuss over all of it. I was getting more and more embarrassed. It was different with her. I wasn't used to a girl showing me this sort of affection, well, not a girl that I desperately liked.

"Well, that's nice. You girls have something planned for today?" She said giving Bella a hug.

"We are going to Seattle, but that's all I can say right now." Bella said.

"Are you going Alice?" She asked trying to make conversation.

"Esme, no, it's just us…and we should probably go." I gestured with my thumb over my shoulder for us to go. Alice leaned in and whispered to Esme quietly. Esme said "Oh" Lowly.

"Well, You girls have fun. Good to see you, Sweetie." She said as she started to leave the room.

I looked at Bella, she gave me an awkward smile. Then she turned and walked out the door, giving Alice a small wave goodbye. I followed her out and down the porch steps.

"So which car did you want to take?" I asked.

"Mine. This is my date, I'm doing everything…including driving." She said as she walked to her old 57' Chevy truck.

"But that thing only goes like fifty miles an hour! We could probably run there faster." I protested. She walked to the passenger door and opened it for me.

"My date. My choice. My truck." She said using her other hand to gesture for me to get in. I sighed in mock annoyance and got in. She ran to the other side got in and tried to start her truck. It took two tries and it roared to life.

"While we are talking about it, I am paying for everything tonight." She said firmly.

"We'll see." I said. She turned to look at me with a serious look. Then pointed to her own chest.

"My date." She said.

"Fine!" I said laughing a little. "It's your date, by the way, what is this date?"

"You'll see."

When the two of us were alone, most of the awkwardness went away. I think we were both a little nervous the first few minutes, but after that we settled into our natural selves. She was my best friend, and I loved talking to her, even before we had started this new chapter in our relationship.

The whole drive we talked, we talked about the poker game, about the family and about Emmett leaving. Emmett had left later that night after the game, all of us were missing him in one way or another. I missed him too, not in the way I'm sure he missed me, but in a friend type of way. He had been in my life for such a long time. I told Bella how I felt about that, she was pretty understanding. It was nice to talk about it, I hadn't talked about it at all until then.

She talked about Charlie and how she wished he would find someone. She was worried about leaving him to go off to college. The conversation got me thinking about all of that. I hadn't really thought too far ahead about us, I mean this was our second date for crying out loud. I was still curious about what her plans were.

"So, have you thought about what you want to do next year?" I asked her as she drove.

"What do you mean? I have my last year of school, I don't know after that." She said looking at the road ahead.

"Well, you have good grades, right? Don't you take some advanced courses? You might have enough to graduate early." I said hoping she would want to.

"I think I could technically graduate by winter break, but I hadn't thought it through. I've been a little preoccupied with …everything." She said with a small laugh. She had a lot to be preoccupied with lately.

"I was wondering because I am applying for a political science program out of Harvard, Columbia, Yale and Georgetown. I was thinking I would want to continue into law. It would start the next fall, but I can graduate as well in December if I wanted to. I didn't know if you had any plans for college." I rambled a little. I wanted to be with her and I wanted her to want to be with me. I didn't tell her, but if she didn't want to go to any of those places I wouldn't go.

"I hadn't completely thought of it yet. I mean I have, I just have too many things I want to do." She said furrowing her brow and looking down at the wheel for a second.

"That's the beauty of this life, I suppose. You can be anything you want to be six times over." I said.

"Well, I have thought about several things, I like history a lot, so I thought maybe an archeologist. I also like film and the arts. I feel like the things I like are fairy tale type careers. I even thought of becoming a vet at one point. Now I feel like I would be too tempted to eat the first pet rabbit that came into my clinic." She said laughing.

"Well, I would say you should go for whatever you want. Maybe not eating pet rabbits, but the other stuff. I can help you with applications. Would you be ok with moving?"

"I don't see why not, as long as we could visit Charlie and the other's often." She said in a way that made me like her more.

"Of course! I'll help you with some applications soon. We can talk more about it later." I said trying not to be too pushy about it all.

When we got to Seattle she drove to the convention center in the city. I saw the signs and advertisements once we drove up. It was a classic auto show. a really big classic auto show that I had wanted to go to. I looked over to her with bright eyes and a big smile.

"This is what we are doing?" I asked.

"Yep, I hope you like it." She said. I scooted the distance between us on her truck bench and kissed her cheek.

"Ok let's go." She said smiling ear to ear. I started to scoot back to my door to get out. "Wait!" She said. She opened her door and ran around to my side in a flash. She opened my door for me and offered her hand. "My date, remember?"

"That's right, thank you." I said taking her hand.

The convention center was a giant blast from the past. I saw old guys in the show rooms standing proudly next to their cars, probably not even old enough to have actually bought some of the cars new. I saw some cars that I had wanted to buy, and some models that I had owned once and sold.

We talked to a few of the old guys about their cars, every time we did they would go on and on explaining something I already knew. I wasn't rude, but I did add to their knowledge by telling them things I knew. They were surprised every time that I knew about those models and some earlier ones. Little did they know that when I grew up, those were the common models of vehicles. I showed Bella my father's car.

"It was our family's first car, a 1925 Flint Sedan. It's the same color of my family's car too. My dad finally broke down and realized that cars were not a faze, but were here to stay. He bought it used when I was fourteen when he got it. I used to love helping my dad work on it. He wanted to learn everything about how it worked, he taught me after he understood himself." I told her.

"Wow, it's hard for me to really grasp just how long ago you were my age, until I see things like this." She said looking at it.

"I know, I'm an old woman." I said half joking, half insecure about it.

"Good thing I like older women." She said as she moved on to the next exhibit. I was shocked at her comment, but happy to hear it. After a second I followed after her.

"You know, I didn't get my first car until I was turned for like ten years. I bought it used too. Now I can't even imagine life without a car to tinker with."

"Which car was your first one?" She asked.

"Let me see if I can find one, or maybe a similar year." I said as I looked around. "Wow! There one is! Its not the same year, that's gotta be a 38 or 39. Mine was a 1935."

"Wow, that's actually kinda cool." She said as we approached the car.

"Mine was utter junk when I bought it. I learned most of what I know about cars by fixing it up. It's an AC 16/80 sports car. I bought it used for one hundred and fifty-seven dollars. It was an investment considering the fact that it was a bucket of problems. I got it up and running though." I said proudly.

"I'm sure you cussed your way through repairing it. You don't seem like the most patient person, especially when you don't fully know how to do something." She teased.

"I might have kicked the wheel a few times in anger. She wouldn't run for the longest time!" I said defensively.

"What ever happened to it?" She asked.

"I actually had it up until a few years ago, I sold it just before we moved back to Forks. I was told I had too many cars and I needed to liquidate. I was storing some of them, but it was kind of a waste because I never drove them." I said missing my babies.

"Dang, that sucks, I would have loved to go on a ride with you in it." She said.

"Maybe one day I'll get another one." I said cheerfully.

We walked around the convention center for what must have been a couple of hours. While we were walking I couldn't help but pay attention to Bella. She had planned such a thoughtful date for us, something that was meant for me, really. She was genuinely interested in what I was telling her and showing her too.

As we walk I kept looking at her. She looked so beautiful, even though she wasn't really done up that much. She was just wearing a white tank top with an unbuttoned flannel long sleeve over it. Everything about her made me want more though. I watched her expressions as I joked with her, her smile drove me crazy. My favorite was when I was telling her something serious about a car or my past. She would bite her lip, just slightly, when she was concentrating on what I was saying.

We decided we were both ready to go, even though I was having an amazing time. I knew she could only take so much of my geeking out to old cars. I figured I would spare her and tell her I was ready. As we walked to the car I grabbed her hand to hold it and thanked her again for the amazing date.

"Oh, did you think that was it?" She said intertwining her fingers in mine.

"I guess I just assumed that was the date?" I said curious about what else she had planned.

"Actually, I have a change of clothes for you in the car. Alice helped me pick it out of your closet." She said looking proud of herself.

"Really…well, what are we going to do then?" I asked.

"There is some music playing at a blues lounge nearby. I thought you might want to grab a drink and listen. Maybe even dance some." She asked.

"Wow, I love blues! Did you know I liked it?" I asked shocked she had done so well with the date plans.

"You play all sorts of music in the car with me. I found a lounge that has a band that sounds like some of the old blues and jazz you like. Alice has been teaching me how to dance to it a little this past week." She said with a smile.

"You are incredible. That's my favorite. I…how? How are you so perfect?" I asked in awe.

"I just care about you and pay attention." She said still holding my hand.

We stopped at a gas station to change. I let her go in and change first. When she came out she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Her hair was down, black dress that flowed out from the hips and stopped just below mid-thigh. My goddess she was wearing heals. I died a little inside when I saw those. I passed her outside the car on my way into change. I hadn't looked at what she brought me yet.

"You look stunning." I said looking her up and down.

"Thanks, I'm glad you like it." She said strutting to the car.

I went into the bathroom and took a look at what Alice had picked out. It was my tight lace blue dress. I hardly ever wore it because it was almost indecent the way it hugged my body. I put on some red lipstick that Alice packed and my heels. I took a look at myself in the mirror, let out a deep breath and walked back to the car. I watched Bella in the driver's seat as I walked. Her mouth open when she saw me. I guessed she liked it.

"Rose, you are …. you look…I mean…wow." She stuttered. I silently thanked Alice.

"Thanks. Alright, so let's go dancing." I said breaking Bella from her stare.

"Yeah, let's get going." She shook her head a little, she must have been clearing her head. I smiled to myself. I was happy I could cause such a reaction out of her. I was used to people finding me attractive, but it was different with her. I really cared about what she thought, and I wanted her to want me.

When we arrived at the lounge I was impressed. It was just like some of the old speakeasy's that stuck around after the prohibition. I had been in a few after the prohibition ended, but this was nicer than any of the ones I had been in. We had to go down a set of stairs to get in, and once in the atmosphere oozed elegance and class. Dim lighting set the mood, the stage only helped to enhance the feeling. A small group of musicians filled the stage and played jazz and blues. A woman sang into the old styled microphone. Her voice raspy and beautiful.

The lounge was full, but not stuffy, just enough to enjoy the show. A few couples danced close on the floor in front of the stage. Others sat at small tables nursing drinks. It wasn't too big of a place, but just big enough to have a front bar and a bar in the back of the club. The bartenders shook the drinks in little metal shakers, wearing vests with bow ties. I felt at home in this place. Bella had really outdone herself.

Bella led the way to the bar, she took the initiative to order us both a drink. I was impressed by her, she was really taking the reins here. I had to admit that it was attractive. I stood close behind her, watching the band play. I had been distracted by the music for a few minutes when she gave me a gentle nudge, she was holding two lemon drop martinis. I took one and followed her to a table. We sat for a while, drinking and listening to the music.

Once we had our fill of liquid courage she asked me to dance. She was so sexy, she didn't speak, she just stood up and offered me her hand. I took it and followed her out to the dance floor. She leaned in close to me and brought her lips to my ear.

"Let me lead." She whispered. Chills ran up my spine at her breath hitting my ear. I nodded in response and raise my hand for her to grasp.

She started to move, swaying with the music, stepping towards be and back away. I followed her movements, keeping just a few inches between us. She held her right hand on my lower back. She led me to move closer to her, we walked backwards slowly, my legs were practically straddling hers. She had really picked up on the dance, or she was a natural. The way she had us move was like fluid, back and forth, turning me and pulling me back in close to her. The more we danced the more the world around us faded. I only heard the music and knew her. Nothing else existed.

When she pulled me in the tension between us thickened. Her posture was straight, controlled and in charge. He chest pressed against mine each time I was pulled in. I couldn't help but notice, I felt bad about it, but not enough to look away. The look in her eyes was confidence and seduction. Bella Swan was the embodiment of sex and I wanted more. When the song ended she dipped me slowly and held me there. I couldn't take it anymore, I stole a kiss from her and she returned for a little more.

The crowd clapped for our performance, a reminder that we were not alone. We snapped out of our daze, she let me back up and we both looked around a little sheepishly. After that we danced more, enjoying the movement of our bodies in sync with one another. We got another drink after a while and talked quietly at our table. The night had been magical, and she was out of this world. I stole short glance at her while we listened to the band, and I couldn't remember a time in my life when I was happier then I was in that moment.

Author's end note:

If you would like to see the style of dance I had envisioned go to youtube and paste this in the search:

Jazz No Problem - Praha, Random couple dancing. Prague, Czech Republic.

It wont let me put a link in here, or I am not savy enough to make it work. It might not have been quite the same, but similar.

If you want to see the dress I envisioned Bella wearing go to google images and paste this in the search, it will be the first one. I know its stupid that I can't put a link in here.

Plain Little Black Dress

And Rosalie:

Dress: navy blue lace homecoming es homecoming coctail fashion


	44. Chapter 44

Hey this is Ashley's girlfriend, Alex (the proofreader and sometimes co-author). Sorry I've kept her away for so long, a girl needs her girlfriend sometimes ya know. Anyways, she said shes trying to bridge the gap in time so she can get to the good stuff (its really good stuff, trust me on that one). Enjoy this next chapter. Reviews are always appreciated!

Chapter 44- Coming out of the closet (coffin?)

(Bella's POV)

Summer was gone before we knew it. Most of it was spent with my vampire family and with Charlie. We went on family outings, played baseball when it rained, and just enjoyed life. I was really getting the hang of things, living a double life and all that came with it. Esme, Alice, Rosalie and I went shopping…more times than I could really handle. Charlie and I went fishing a couple times, and I of course kept up our tradition of going to the diner. He was a quiet man, but I was quiet too. We were comfortable that way.

Rosalie and I went on dates, little day trips all over Washington and smiled a lot. No matter how much she smiled, I never got used to it. She taught me a few things about cars, I was helping her fix up a car we chose together. I knew nothing when we picked it out, I just liked the way it looked. Turns out I have expensive taste, because the parts for that thing were hard to find and expensive to buy. Some of our trips were an excuse because of picking up parts. I liked working with her on the car because I got to see her in her element. She was so adorable with grease smeared on her cheek.

I often gave in to my feelings and snuck kisses. It's a wonder we got any work done at all. She didn't mind, at least she didn't show it if she did. She came over for dinner often, always causing Charlie to talk like a chatter box. I never understood how she did that, he seemed to love her. I hadn't told him about us yet, so as far as he was concerned, we were best friends. She openly stayed the night some, and that's what had me worried. If he knew, I could imagine that he would wonder what we were doing all those nights.

In reality, we hadn't gotten that close to that. I wanted to, especially in the heat of the moment. Kissing her was a drug and I was hooked, how could I not want more? The closest we had gotten to that was heavy making out and an occasional wondering hand. She always stopped it, and I knew why. She maintained that she wanted the time to be right, that she had never done that before with a woman and she wanted it to be special.

Her first time with a man had gone horribly wrong, not that I would ever even count that, but she did. She came from a different time, a time when people waited, a time when they romanced each other. She told me that to her, Sex was the ultimate form of intimacy, and that it should not be taken lightly. I understood how she felt, but dear god, it's hard to think when kissing her.

I often wondered what the right time was for her. Did she want to wait until she was remarried? Did she ever plan on getting married again? We hadn't said that we loved each other, although I had known how I felt for a while. I loved her, and I wanted her. I wasn't sure I could ever love someone like I loved her, and all those moments with Edward so long ago, they seemed like a crush compared to this. When I wasn't with her I missed her, my heart…what used to be a heart, felt pain. I was in deep and I had it bad for her.

It was time for fall class to start up again, and I dreaded it. I didn't want this comfortable existence to be shaken. I liked the freedom to be myself when I wanted, the only person I had to pretend around was Charlie. Now, with school starting up, I had the world to fake it to also. The Cullen's and I picked classes together, it was no surprise to anyone that most of them Rosalie and I wanted together. Alice claimed a couple of my periods, she said she didn't want to share me for just a little bit.

Rosalie came over for dinner one last night before school started. She was going to help me fill out college applications and talk about plans for the next year. I was at home preparing dinner and the thought of Charlie not knowing was really on my mind. It bothered me to keep it from him, I was already keeping so much of me a mystery from him. If I was planning on going off to college the next year, probably with Rose, shouldn't he at least know what we are to each other?

I went back and forth in my mind, thinking it might be easier to never tell him. He was a good guy, but he didn't seem to be very progressive. I mean, we were leaving next year, one year couldn't be that bad to ride it out. I shook the thought out of my head, I needed to tell him. I gulped but the lump in my throat didn't leave. I was nervous about telling him, he meant a lot to me and I hoped it wouldn't hurt our relationship. I couldn't stand having any more secrets than I had to though.

Charlie got home before Rosalie arrived. I heard him take off his boots and belt like he always does. Before I knew it, he was greeting me and grabbing a beer.

"Hey Bells." He said going to the fridge.

"Hey, how was your day? Catch all the bad guys?" I asked nervously.

"I wish, what's for dinner?" He asked.

"Steak and Potatoes." I said. He was making his way out of the kitchen and to the couch. I stopped what I was doing and followed him out of the kitchen. "Hey, erm, can we talk for a minute?" I asked. He was just about to sit down on the couch, he took a look at his beer before answering.

"Sure, everything ok?" He said.

"Yeah, I just need to talk to you for a minute. Maybe at the table?" I said sounding suspicious. When we sat down he just stared at me for a minute, I didn't speak. All my courage had left and I wondered why I thought this was a good idea.

"So?" He said breaking the silence, motioning for me to talk.

"Well, I am sure you have noticed that I haven't really brought any boys around since…" I trailed off, not knowing how to do this.

"I guess that's true. That's not a bad thing. After what he put you through, taking a break from dating has been good for you."

"Well, Yeah, It was good, but that's not my point." I said even more anxious.

"I'm not sure I understand." He said.

"Well, I have been learning a lot about myself, and I just wanted to let you know that I have started dating again…" I paused trying to figure out how to put it. I looked down at my hands fidgeting on the table.

"Do I get to meet 'em?" He asked.

"Well, you already have. I have sort of been seeing Rosalie." I said peeking back up at his face. He burst out laughing. I was caught completely off guard at his reaction. "I didn't know how to tell you, I really like her and I know it's probably not what you would have expected. I just…" I rambled defensively until he cut me off.

"Bells, I kind of figured you two were. I wasn't sure and I didn't put too much thought into it, but at the very least I could tell you both were sweet on each other." He said taking a swing of his beer.

"You knew?" I said with my jaw dropped.

"I could tell something was going on, it wasn't my place to stick my nose in it. She is a nice girl and she seems to be good to you. If she wasn't I would have said something." He said.

"So, you are ok with me being gay?" I asked dumfounded.

"I mean, if you think you are gay or whatever, I guess that's alright. You are still my daughter. I just care that you are with someone who treats you right." He said.

I was so taken back and excited at his reaction that I got up and hugged him. I gave him a kiss on the cheek, but let go when I saw how awkward he was. We had never been the touchy type, so this was out of the ordinary for us. Rosalie knocked at the door right after and I went to answer it. I couldn't stop smiling, not just from everything that had just happened, but from the goddess standing in front of me when I answered the door.

She looked over my shoulder to check for Charlie before taking my hand and kissing it. She had gotten in the habit, knowing that he didn't know about us. I didn't tell her he knew because I liked that she kissed my hand that way. Also, I figured it could be awkward if Charlie overheard me telling her "he knows!"

She helped me finish dinner and we all sat down to eat. Charlie was being a little more quiet than usual, we mostly sat in silence for a little bit. Rosalie could tell something was up and had tried to start a conversation with me about the college applications. Charlie kept his eyes down on the plate eating his food.

"So, I hear you are dating my daughter." He said finally. Rosalie choked a little on the food she was chewing, the food she would have eventually spit into her napkin.

"Dad…" I said in protest.

"Erm, well, yes…we have been dating some." She said after clearing her throat.

"Well, I am alright with it. You just remember that I am a cop, ok sweetheart?" He said trying to give her the toned-down version of the protective dad speech.

"I could never forget that." She said with a nervous smile.

After dinner, we cleaned up and went upstairs. When I shut the door, I let my back rest against it for a second. I sighed loudly.

"That scared me so much." I said relieved that he took it well.

"Yeah, so, way to warn me about it." Rosalie said sarcastically on the bed.

"I had just told him, I had no time. I wasn't exactly thinking it through today either." I said meeting her on the bed. I sat down next to her, but her hand reached up from where she was laying and grabbed me around my waist. She pulled me over and on top of her.

"I guess you could make it up to me." She said smiling at me, just an inch from my lips.

"Oh yeah, and how am I going to do that?" I bit my lip.

"I'll think of something." She said kissing me.

After a few moments of kissing the heat was turned up. It was getting harder and harder to not push for more. I mindlessly let my hands wander sometimes. This was one of those times. She stopped my hand when it was slowly sliding up her stomach towards her chest. Her hand took mine and brought it back out from under her blouse. She slowed our kissing and eventually broke the connection.

"We have a lot of work to do. We should probably get started." She said. I sighed in disappointment.

"Do I really need to go to college? Why can't I just spend eternity doing exactly this?" I said kissing her neck.

"Yes, you need college, plus I will be there. Don't you want to be with me, taking classes, coming home to our own place, where we can snuggle up to a movie on the couch at night?" She said sounding so innocent. She was batting her eyes at me, making her lips slightly pouty.

"Of course, I do, but UGH, you make it hard to want to concentrate on anything else." I said moving off of her and getting up to get my lap top.

"I actually had an idea." She said sitting up on my bed.

"Does it involve us running away and not going to college?" I said playfully.

"Well, I guess you could look at it that way. Not as a permanent thing though. I was accepted into Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Yale and Georgetown, but not for the spring…. for the fall. I can graduate at Christmas, and you should be able to as well." She said as if I should be following.

"I don't understand, why wouldn't you finish out the year then?" I asked.

"Well, for one, high school is dreadful the first time going through. I have gone through it about twelve times now. I don't exactly want to be sitting in those classes any longer than I have to. For another, I have a better idea of how we could spend our time. What would you say about going away with me?" She said putting her hand on mine.

"Go away where?" I asked.

"We could go anywhere really, but I was thinking we could travel around. Maybe explore Europe, south America, and if we are feeling up to it, maybe some of Asia. We could set off in January and spend the whole semester and maybe some of the summer, just exploring. Just the two of us." She said with twinkle in her eye. I could tell she was in love with the idea.

"I don't even know what to say. I am having a hard time saving for college as it is, I couldn't afford all that." I said a little taken back by the idea.

"I would take care of everything. I have decades of wealth that I haven't had a chance to spend, this wouldn't even make a dent in it." She explained.

"I could never let you do that." I said protesting.

"Consider it a graduation gift from me. That is, if you would want to." She said suddenly doubting my willingness to be with her on the journey. Her head fell a little, looking to the floor.

"Rose, Of course I want to go. I would probably go anywhere with you. I am just concerned about using your money like that." I said touching her chin with my right hand in an effort to comfort her.

"Bella, I have entirely too much money. It's a problem really. I need help using it anyways. We might as well enjoy this life before we go back to school." She said looking at me again with hope in her eyes.

"Let's do it. I'm in." I said giving her a kiss.

"Yes! I'll plan everything, just tell me if you want to visit anywhere and we will go."

"I have so many places I have wanted to see. Machu Picchu, Venice, red square in the winter, the great wall…"

"We can see them all then. You and me, we will see the world. First, we have to get you into a college though." She said grabbing my lap top. "So, I think we should apply to the same school as me, maybe more."

"I think NYU has a good program in business and film. I don't really know what I want to do yet though." I said trying to help.

"We can apply there, you don't really need to know what you want to do yet. Its good you have a few ideas though."

We spent the rest of the night doing applications, writing essays for the applications and rewarding ourselves with breaks after each one. I enjoyed every second of every break, because it meant I was cuddling and kissing her. Life was almost too perfect now, too bad the morning brought me back to the grueling reality of high school.


	45. Chapter 45

Author's Note:

Hey beautiful people. I have been writing more lately and that makes me happy. I have been a little less distracted. I have been fluffing up the story to give it a break from the dramatic beginning and drama, that happened int he first half. I have some conflict and some more fluff coming up. A little while later will be a bunch more conflict, so sit back and enjoy this break from the drama. Please let me know what you think, if you are liking it or not. I appreciate all the feedback!

Chapter 45- Bring It On

(Rosalie's POV)

"Rosalie Hale. Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Lauren said stopping by my locker. This bitch was the only one who had ever had the guts to come up to me. I was shocked she did.

"Hi. Lauren…" I said trying to ward her off with an icy exterior.

 _"You are so pretty, it's a shame you never made the cheer squad. Your lack of spirit would have probably brought us down anyways." She said touching my golden hair._

 _"I never tried out, it seems like a waste of time. Besides, you wouldn't have wanted to miss out from being the center of attention. I'm sure if I had tried out I would have been the one gathering the attention of Mike or Tyler, you wouldn't have wanted that." I said peeling her fingers off of my hair._

 _"Is that so?" She leaned in to whisper the next part. "Don't ever think you could best me in anything. orphan trash."_

 _The venom in my mouth pooled and my lips slowly peeled back showing my teeth just slightly. I was about to push her into the janitors closet and show her I was the wrong girl to be messing with when Alice and Jasper approached us. Jasper hit me with a thick wave of calm. Alice nonchalantly shoved her way between us._

 _"Oh Rose, finally I found you. You are never going to believe it, I have first period with you now!" She said trying to break the tension. "Oh, hello…Laura, isn't it?"_

 _"Lauren." She said plainly._

 _"My mistake. Well, Rose, we really must get going, don't want to be late our first day back in school." Alice said grabbing my arm firmly and pulling me away with her. I shut my locker quickly as she pulled me away._

 _"That dumb bitch has got it coming to her. I swear to god Alice, let me just scare her." I said as we walked away._

 _"We are nice human girls, remember? We are outsiders here, don't make our image here worse." She said as we walked. Jasper walked behind us to class._

 _"I will charm her, I will keep her quiet, I just need five minutes with her. She doesn't even…" It was then that I saw her. The first time I saw Bella. It was her first day of school at forks. She didn't notice me, but I noticed her. I had no idea at the time that she would mean so much to me. She was just a quiet awkward girl. Mike was showing her the school when we passed. I had always remembered how I felt when I saw her, it was curious. Something that bothered me every time I thought of her after that, every time I saw her look at me, every time I saw her with Edward._

That was exactly one year ago today. So much of my life had changed since then, but one thing hadn't apparently, and that was the balls on Lauren. When I found Bella, she was at her locker, Lauren was talking to her this time. She was complimenting her outfit, but I knew she wasn't there to be friendly. She never was. I was right.

"I just didn't think you were coming back, I heard you spent the last part of last year in a mental hospital or something." She said as I approached.

"What? No, I was visiting my mom in Arizona." Bella said a little awkwardly.

"Hey beautiful." I said approaching. Lauren turned to look at me.

"Erm, thanks…I guess." Lauren said looking at me in disgust.

"Don't flatter yourself." I said to her as I moved past her and put my arm around Bella's back, giving her a small kiss on her shoulder. Lauren's jaw dropped so far, I thought it was going to hit the floor. I have to admit that my stunt was mostly for her benefit, even if I did find Bella beautiful.

"Are you two, like?" She motioned her finger between us.

"Better watch out, the gay might get you." I said, putting my hands up like bear claws.

"Oh my god." Was all she said, the bell rang and we just walked away with our things. I turned my head slightly to look behind us. She just stood there in shock for a second, then she scurried off to most likely gossip about us.

"Well, that's one way to make us come out to the school." Bella said still under my arm.

"I couldn't help it, let them talk." I said.

Classes were boring as usual. I still don't understand how they haven't introduced new literature into English. I have been reading the same bland stories since I was human. Haven't other author's written anything worthy of twelfth grade English by now? At least the classes would be easy, I could practically recite some of the books. Math was the usual.

By now I was always in the most advanced classes, and thankfully, so was Bella. She was just intelligent, just a natural at school. This year was going to be made bearable by her presence. I made distracting her in class a sport. I constantly whispered to her little jokes about the teachers, classmates, or material we covered. She didn't seem to mind, she was whispering back.

I wanted so badly to hold her hand in class, that was the biggest torture, not being able to touch. Physics was my favorite class because it was in the science lab. That meant bigger tables for two. I got to touch elbows with her then.

By lunchtime I noticed people really talking about us, you could see them leaning in and pointing subtly. It's not so subtle when you can hear a pin drop in the next room though. I could hear every single one of their whispers. Most of the rumors were bland, but some had grown into a creative story. I heard one about how we had both been locked up together in the mental institution and that's when we fell in love.

Another was that I had cheated on Emmett with her and cause him to be adopted by a new family. Most of the guys just talked about how hot we were and how they had a chance to get in the middle. I heard a guy claim he had been there to see us and make out with us. Stupid boys.

Lauren ended up behind me in the line, she stayed quiet long enough that I thought I might make it through to pay without her bothering me. I kept my back to her just to further the point that I wanted that more than anything. She obviously didn't get my social cue, or she had bigger balls than I had previously believed. Bella was in front of me, she didn't seem to notice Laruen behind me.

"Now I'm really glad you didn't try out for cheer squad. Wouldn't want you staring at us while we changed." She said giggling to her friend behind her. I felt the pool of venom in my mouth again. I turned slowly, trying to hold on to every bit of patience I had.

"I actually didn't try out because I didn't want to have to see you change. Nobody really needs that image in their head." I said coldly. Bella turned when she heard me speak.

"Really, but you want to see that shapeless skeleton naked? Ugh, well, to each his own I guess." She said with a dramatic tone, rolling her eyes at the end. That was it, I was about to take her out. New plan, I could just kill her and we could run away now. Bella could sense my tension, she touched my arm. Had it not been for her touch, reminding me to keep calm, I probably would have ripped this girl's head off.

"You know, I actually think I do want to try out. They are today after school, aren't they? Better enjoy your safe little hetero team today. This homo is going to be on it tomorrow." I leaned in to whisper in her ear. "and I am going to take your shot away for captain."

I threw cash down at the cashier counter and we walked away with our trays of food. People had noticed our spat and watched as Bella and I joined the Jasper and Alice at our table. When I sat down I practically slammed my tray down.

"Really?" Alice said. Jasper hit me with his calming gift.

"Can't you just let me be furious, Jaz?" I spat out. He just laughed.

"Do you even want to cheer?" Bella asked.

"Not at all." I said using my fork to aggressively move around the food on my plate.

"Just forget about her, I see her future, it looks like she is going to end up pregnant right out of school and married with a deadbeat husband. I think you are going to win ultimately." Alice said encouragingly.

"Did you not hear her? No one gets to belittle Bella." I turned to look at Bella. "The things she said were the absolute farthest from the truth."

"I know, it didn't bother me, she is just a bully." Bella said calmly. I was glad she didn't take it to heart, but still mad enough to kill the bitch.

"Just let me do this, she has to be taken down a peg." I said to the table.

"Well, I know we promised Carlisle no sports, but maybe this could be an exception. Just don't go showing off too much." Alice said shrugging.

"Rose as a cheerleader." Jasper said laughing.

"What? Is that so hard to believe?" I said giving him a glare.

"You just aren't the 'go team!' cheery type." Jasper said.

"I will be now. I'm going to have to be the best damn cheerleader this school has ever seen if I want to take away her chance at captain." I said glaring over to where Lauren's table was. Out of my peripheral I swear I saw Bella hold her hand up and move her index and middle finger. Like she was swiping left on a phone. When that happened, I saw Lauren's chocolate milk spill all over her lap. Lauren got up with her hands spread open, a disgusted look on her face. She quickly ran off to the bathroom. I looked at Bella shocked, she looked at me back and shrugged. She continued on with our conversation like nothing happened.

"Well, I think it's cool." Bella said.

"Really?" I said a little surprised.

"I mean yeah, I am going to be dating a cheerleader. A really pretty cheerleader. Isn't that like every high school guys dream?" Bella said.

"But you are no guy, and you are no cheerleader." Alice said to both of us.

"It's still kinda hot." Bella said under her breath. I smiled at that. I had new reasons to do it now.

After school, I changed into my gym clothes again for the tryouts. Bella and the others came to the tryouts to watch. I felt a little out of place, these girls were just not my crowd, but I didn't mind that much. I had seen enough movies involving cheerleaders to know what I could expect from tryouts. I forced a smile while we learned a basic cheer. The physical challenges were a piece of cake for me, the team spirit was not so easy.

It took everything in me to keep up the bubbly persona as we went through the tryouts. I killed everything and I knew I had the attention of the veteran cheer coach and her senior cheerleaders. Everyone seemed to love me aside from Lauren, she had a constant scowl on her face when it was my turn to do things. The last part was a solo cheer and dance to a song.

Jessica Stanley was trying out as well, and when she went she played the same song I had already heard by two other girls. She seemed like she was trying her best, she kept a smile on her face most of the time. The most she did was dance around a little bit, throwing her arms up in the air and at the end she cartwheeled into her grand finish. If this sort of stuff was all I had to beat, I had it in the bag.

I was up and almost at a loss for what song to go with. I heard and watched so many repeats that it drove me insane. There was no way I was choosing one of those songs like the others.

I decided to go all in, maybe I could be a little risky here. I chose 'Candy girl' to dance to and got in my place with my back to everyone. This was a new remix of the song, when it started I turned around with a smile on my face. I let my hips sway and got as I got low. When I was all the way down with my knees bent I threw my legs open and put my hands on my knees. I bounced back up but bent over right after with my legs spread, I might have bounced my ass just a little. I wasn't in this to be average, I was turning it up as much as I could.

While I was bent over I leaned forward into a hand stand, bringing my spread legs up slowly and together. I flipped backwards and landed on my feet. I danced around a little bit, swaying my hips, moving forward to the judges as I did so. I cartwheeled back away from them and went immediately into a front flip with a 540 spin and into another back flip. I stuck the landing and threw my arms up.

I kept the same stupid smile on my face the whole time. Everyone burst out with an applause. I gave Lauren a little wink to show her that I was coming for her and her captain spot. I brushed my hair off my shoulder and walked back to the bench with the confidence to make anyone feel intimidated. I snuck a peek at Bella when I was walking back, I'm pretty sure I saw drool coming out of her open mouth.

After tryouts were over the group and I waited outside the gym for a moment to hear the captains and the coaches talk. I knew I had the spot, I just wanted to hear what they had to say.

"Well, Hale is definitely in, I thought Stanley could have been more prepared." Said Coash Washington.

"Erm, I don't mean to disagree…but Hale has a sort of reputation. I'm not sure she would be a good image for the team." Lauren spoke up.

"How so?" questioned the coach.

"She is a bit of a slut and a lesbian. I don't think I am comfortable with her prowling in the locker room. I don't think any of us girls will feel safe." She said in a mock innocence.

"I don't care if she is an alien, she is at a level far above high school. Any team would be lucky to have her. She also seems to have the spirit we need. She is in on my vote." The coach argued. "Anyone else seem to share Lauren's feelings about Ms. Hale?"

The room was silent for a moment.

"Jessica is a way better candidate coach, she has the spirit we need on this team. She is also popular and will bring in more crowds to the games." Lauren desperately reasoned.

"It looks like no one else shares your feeling Lauren, you're just going to have to get over your issues with Hale. Just because Stanley is your friend, that does not warrant her a place on this team. She has to earn it like everyone else. Now the coaches and I will discuss the final spot and we will see if we feel Stanley earned it. You may all go get changed now." Coach said to the other senior cheerleaders and captains.

Bella turned and hugged me in a tight embrace, she planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Congrats babe!" She said.

"I earned a nickname now?" I said playfully.

"Well, I want to make sure the others know you are mine. I have to start somewhere." She said coyly.

I had won against Lauren, gained a spot on the team…which I really didn't care about, but most importantly, I earned that nickname. My day and undead life was made.


	46. Chapter 46

Author's Note:

Hello people, here we are with a new chapter. I still have a ways to go on this story. However, my lovely girlfriend and I had a sort of idea for a next story. I don't think I am going to start writing it yet, because I know if I do I will have a hard time doing both stories. Let me know what you think of the idea though: AU story of Rosella where Rosalie is seeking the revenge of her dead father, and is a cop. Bella is the daughter of the man who was responsible for his death. There is a lot more to it, it would take place in either the 1930's or the 1970's, haven't decided. Some mob type of stuff will be in the story, most likely on Bella's side. I know there is another AU story out there, an excellent one btw about Bella being a robber and Rosalie being a Marshall, but this would be different from that(some similarities but not many). Anyways, let me know your thoughts in messages or comments. Thanks for the kind reviews!

Chapter 46- Friday Night Lights

(Bella's POV)

The semester was flying by with all of the homework, time with the Cullen's, dates and football games. The whole family went to every game to watch Rosalie. I could tell she liked it, even though she pretended she wasn't into it. I think she was feeling slightly more human doing trivial high school things like cheerleading. I definitely didn't mind seeing her in class in uniform on game days. She was a perfect and I was way more into it than I thought I would be.

Seeing her in the uniform was making it even harder on me, I wanted to connect with her physically so badly. Every time I tried to go further she would stop me and give me the same excuse. I was understanding but we had been dating for months and I felt like we were ready for that. I hadn't told her I loved her, even though it killed me not to. I was just scared she might not be there yet with me.

Homecoming was coming up and that meant a dance. I wouldn't normally care about those things, but this was the only dance I would get to go to, I wouldn't be at the school at prom. I figured I would wait for her to ask me, then I would know she wanted to go. I brought up the dance once or twice, more so just talking about the theme or someone who said they were going. I was trying to drop hints for her.

At school, I had the pleasure of Mike asking me to the dance. I was taken back because I was sure he knew who I was dating. It hadn't exactly been a kept secret. He had come up behind me when I was walking with Alice to our class together.

"Hey Bella!" He said.

"Oh, hey Mike."

"So, homecoming is coming up, have you…erm, have you made any plans?" He asked stuttering a little but trying to play it cool.

"Not as of yet, just the game to see Rose. Why?" I asked trying to be nice.

"Did you want to go to the dance part with me? You know, we could grab dinner before or something." He asked shrugging as if it were nothing.

"That's nice of you to ask, but I am dating Rosalie, I thought you knew?" I said.

"Oh, I mean, I guess I didn't think that was for real. You are both really pretty and you just don't really seem like…"

"Ok Mike, let me stop you right there. My girl here is gorgeous. So is Rose, but if you think that has any bearing on their sexuality or lack of attraction to you, or any of the other morons at this school…well I guess that just proves that she shouldn't be wasting her time with boys like you." Alice interrupted him. He pursed his lips, turned and walked away defeated.

"Whoa, Alice." I said surprised at her outburst.

"What? I'm just tired of the boys at this school and my favorite people getting treated like pieces of meat." She said with a light shrug.

"Stone cold, Alice. Stone cold." I said shaking my head laughing.

Rosalie came over one day before a game and we just hung out in my room. This game was the last game before homecoming, which was the next week. I was losing hope that she would ask me and that made me a little sad. I had kin of assumed she would ask, I guessed I was wrong.

We laid on my bed, she read a magazine and I tried to distract myself by watching videos on youtube. It wasn't working and I was still feeling the full force of my blues. I put down my phone and put my head on her shoulder. I wanted to feel connected to her and not sad about the dance anymore. I started to nuzzle my head on her neck, she didn't seem to notice.

The next logical thing I could think to do was make my intentions clearer. I started to kiss her neck gently. She smiled and sighed, putting her magazine down. She tilted her head into mine and turned to kiss my lips. The sweet gentle kissing was evolving slowly into a flicker of a flame. I put my hand on her head and kissed her deeper. After a moment I climbed up on top of her, that uniform drove me crazy, could you blame me?

She kissed me back but when things started getting a little hot and heavy she hesitated. She gently slowed and pushed me back a little. I felt upset and that made it worse. I just wanted her to want me. If she didn't want to go to the dance, she could at least give me this. She could show me she wanted me like I wanted her.

"We should slow down." She said a little breathlessly.

"I think we are moving pretty slow already." I said with a little acid in my tone. I sat up and slid off of her lap.

"What does that mean?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"If you aren't really into me that way and you just want a friend to cuddle with or whatever…just tell me. I feel like I keep putting myself out there, ya know?"

"I am completely into you, I'm not sure where all this is coming from…" She said.

"We have been dating for like six months and the most you will do is kiss me." I said crossing my arms. I regretted it immediately because I felt like a pouting child.

"I have told you, that means a lot to me and I just want to make sure we do this right." She said a little defensively. She seemed like she was growing frustrated.

"What is that? When the right time? I just don't get what you are waiting for!" I said showing my frustration by throwing my hands in the air a little. When I did some objects in my room flung up in the air, nothing too big, just a few books and a picture frame. I was embarrassed and lowered them back down slowly. Rosalie paused but didn't seem alarmed at the outburst of my emotion and subsequently my power.

"It's just not the right time. I want it to be perfect, ok? Can't you be content with me and the way things are? I have plans for us, and I have a plan for that. I just want it to be romantic. I didn't exactly get that my first time around." She said getting up from the bed.

"I want to be understanding, and I feel like I have been. I am not trying to be all piggish or anything, but this is hard. I mean, did you wait with Emmett like this?" I asked frustrated. She looked down. She seemed upset, but also a little sad or thoughtful. I felt kind of bad that I brought him up.

"No, we didn't. That's the difference though, I care more about you than I think I ever did for him…at least romantically." She said still serious.

"Maybe I wish you would care a little less then." I said lashing out in a half pout. I immediately regretted saying it, but my pride wouldn't let me turn back. I sat down in silence after, feeling awkward that I had said it. I didn't mean it, I wanted her to care, I just wanted her to want me that way. She got up from where she sat, she seemed angry now.

"That is unfortunately something I can't do. I'm sorry I am inconveniencing you, Bella." She said in a bone chilling cold tone. She was making her way to exit my room.

"Rosalie, I didn't mean it…" I said a little distressed. I reached out my hand just a little towards her when I said it.

"I might not have a plan for everything Bella, but I do have a lot of them for us. Your impatience is effecting you in negative ways. Learn to control your emotions before you lash out against someone you care for. I will always be here for you, but someday, someone you need won't be if you don't learn patience and control. I am not dating a child throwing a fit about something she can't have, I am dating a grown ass woman. I'll see you tonight." And with that being said, she turned and left the room, I didn't even try to chase after her.

After five minutes of staring at the ceiling in my room, wondering what to do next, I got up and paced. I paced for a while. Making myself angry, I wondered why she didn't want this for us. I mean, it wasn't a huge deal. It was just sex, like honestly, everyone does it. So, why can't we? I was nervous about it for sure, but I just wanted to take us to the next level. I needed to talk to someone, it was 5 hours before the game even started, I needed Alice. I needed my best friend.

I ran over to the house as soon as possible, hoping I wouldn't see Rose there. It was just too awkward right now, I wouldn't know how to act. I ran up to Alice's room, hoping she would be there. Sure enough, there she was, changing in and out of six outfits before she knew I was standing there.

"I knew you were standing there, I was waiting for you to say something about the fight, come in and sit down… and stop being a creep standing in the door way." She said. I didn't think I was being creepy, but whatever.

"I just don't know what to do Alice, I love her, and I'm ready for this next step. But obviously she isn't." My god, that was the first time I had said I loved her out loud, it kinda felt good. She came over and sat beside me on the bed.

"I know you do honey, and I know you are… but you have to think about it from her point of view, she has been through a lot, you both have. I think she thinks differently about sex than a lot of people in this era do." She said, putting her hand on my knee trying to comfort me.

"Explain more." Was all I said, trying my best to see it from her side, but failing miserably.

"Well, she was born in a time where sex was something you did only inside of marriage. She was taught to save herself for the man she loved, which she did. And you know firsthand how that turned out. She had that taken from her, something that had been placed in her head her entire life. She had that taken from her by not only the man she loved, but all of his friends as well. It's not only that, she later found someone she was comfortable with, married him, and did the deed with him while not really enjoying it. Her entire experience with sex has been far from intimate and not something she has ever got to really treasure.

Now that she found you, you are the most special person she has ever met. This is the most special thing to her that could ever happen in a relationship that she actually WANTS to be in. Not that she is forced into or feels like she is settling for. This era thinks of sex as a tool of affection, not as the ultimate way of saying 'I want to be with you'. Can you see the difference and how she feels a little bit now?" Alice said, voice calm throughout the entire conversation. She really had a way of making me feel better, and I could understand how much this meant to Rose now. I fucked up, I fucked up really bad.

"I'm such an ass Alice. I need to make it up to her, I told her that she must not care about me as much as I did for her. What do I do?" I said, desperate for answers.

"Well, I know that the key to any fight is to admit you are wrong, even if you don't want to. Maybe bring her flowers tonight, I know she always loves that. Ask her to meet you before the game." She said, bringing my spirits up slightly.

"I would, but she isn't answering my phone calls or text messages." I said, immediately destroying any hope I had in this fight.

"Surprise her at half time, in the locker room." Alice said, getting up to fix her outfit.

"Alright, I hope this works" I said, unsure of everything right now.

"Oh, don't worry sweetie, you have much more to worry about than this." She said with a wink and a smile as I was walking out. I didn't even want to turn and ask her what I needed to worry about, this was just as much as I could handle for today.

I went home and grabbed my truck keys, telling Charlie that I would be out for the night at the football game. He grumped and told me he loved me as I was walking out the door. I was on a mission, I couldn't waste any time. I went to the nearest floral shop and I swear I spent a whole hour in there. Roses? Too cheesy, surely someone had gotten those for her because of her name. Sunflowers? She hates anything too girly like that. I had pulled out my phone and was browsing the meaning of flowers when the florist came up and asked if I needed anything. I must have been fretting a little too much, she looked worried for me.

"Yeah, um, I'm trying to get a bouquet of flowers that mean something like 'I'm sorry for being an asshole'. Do you have any of those?" I said, she just laughed at me. A bubble of frustration rose up in me, I'm pretty sure I saw the vase behind her shake a little. I needed to calm down.

"Okay, I don't have anything that means that, but I do have some roses over here, they say 'I love you' in any situation." She said, leading me over to the roses.

"No, those are the last things I would pick." My hopes were falling quickly, I couldn't do this.

"How about something that says 'I can't live without you'?" She said, handing me a bouquet of light yellow flowers. They were beautiful.

"What are these?" I asked a little less frustrated.

"They are called Primrose." She said with a smile.

Perfect. I bought the flowers and headed out to the game. I was about an hour early, I just sat in my car thinking about giving her the flowers the whole time. I seriously hoped she would forgive me. I must have been too deep in thought, because Alice scared the living shit out of me when she slammed on my driver's side window. Everyone was walking into the game.

"Are you coming out? Or are you going to sit in there staring at those flowers for the rest of the night?" she said, pressing her face full force into my window, she was being obnoxious.

We paid for our tickets and found a pretty good seat, I was looking for Rose on the sidelines, but couldn't find her, had she even shown up? Where was she? Alice put her hand on my bouncing thigh, calming me slightly.

"Is she even here, Alice?" I said, worrying that she went away and didn't show up.

"Yes, she is, stop it with the nerves." She said stopping my bouncing leg once more.

Then I saw her, she was as beautiful as ever. I could see that she was putting on that fake but adorable smile. She didn't look at me the entire first quarter. I watched her though, she was a flyer on the team. I think everyone watched her, how could you not?

I noticed Mike and his group watching her, I heard them whispering about her and the things they would like to do to her. It made me anxious and mad. She was mine, at least I hope she was still, I let the flowers in my hand sink a little. They now hung low as my hand that held them was draped across my thigh. She drew everyone in with her smile, hair and damn good moves. I thought I saw her peak over just before half time. I cheered up slightly at the thought that she might have. It was torture waiting for halftime, I needed to get this out of the way so we could get back to normal.


	47. Chapter 47

Author's Note:

Alright! I hope you are ready for a big chapter, because this one is it. Its basically two average chapters smashed into one. I thought about splitting it, but there was no good place to do it in my mind. A few things happen here and I hope you like it! I have a direction i'm going in, just hang in there for the ride. Thanks again for the comments and messages. Please keep it up!

Chapter 47- Out and Proud

Just before halftime the cheerleaders went to the locker room, they usually did this because they would perform at the later part of halftime. I took to opportunity to go to the locker rooms to find her. This would be my chance to make things better between us. I quickly made my way to find her and when I did the whole team was in the middle of a talk. I walked in and they all went quiet. Rosalie, the team captain, and the coach were all standing with their backs to me. They had been addressing the rest of the team.

Things were awkward and the flowers in my hand only made things worse for me. I just stood there in the doorway, like a stupid idiot. Finally, the coach asked me if I needed something.

"Erm, I just need to talk to Rosalie…when you are done." I said shyly.

"I will see you after we are done here." Rosalie said in a serious way. She seemed all business right now, like I was just another person on the street. That made me even more anxious.

"Erm...ok…I'll just wait out here." I said and back out of the doorway awkwardly. My reputation was diving like the stock market in 1929. No hope for me now.

I waited outside, near the entrance to the stadium for what felt like forever. I kept checking my phone for the time, wondering if she found another way around and blew me off. It had only been five minutes, I wondered how time was passing so slowly. The team filed out of the building with the locker rooms. When they passed some of the cheerleaders gave me a small smile. I wondered if they knew and were taking pity on me and my horrible decisions.

The Coach was last, walking with Rosalie. I was so nervous and embarrassed I almost wished I were invisible so they could just pass me by. When they did Rosalie stopped and the coach gave me a brief greeting as she continued past us with the other cheerleaders. She stood with her arms crossed, watching the others that had passed us. When they had rounded the corner into the football stadium area she turned her eyes to the ground between us. She seemed upset, nervous, embarrassed and at a loss for words. Things were beyond awkward between us as we stood in silence.

"So…I don't know if you expected me to be here, but I didn't want to miss a game." I said shyly. I held the flowers at my side.

"I noticed you were here. I didn't know if you would come or not." She said still looking down.

"I went by and got you something." I said as I handed her the flowers. "They are Primrose. They mean something like 'I fucked up really bad, I don't want to pressure you and I'm sorry.'" She took the flowers and gave a little smile out of the side of her mouth. This was a new smile, it was almost like she was sad still but trying not to be.

"They mean all of that, eh?" She said smelling them.

"Something like that." I said. I tried to think of what I wanted to say. "I am really sorry about how I acted. I was stupid and selfish, and I will wait for you…no matter how long that is."

"It's not like I don't want to, it's just that I really want it to be different from what I have known." She said in a way that made me feel like she had been holding that in.

"I understand that now, and again, I'm sorry. I can be a little thick headed sometimes. Are we ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, we are ok. Are you going to stay and watch the half time?" She asked looking down again.

"I wouldn't miss it." I said. She smiled. The coach came back around the corner and called for Rosalie to come get ready. She shouted she was coming.

"Ok, good. I'll see you after, ok?" She said running off towards the team. I worked my way back up to my seat near Alice and Jasper. When I sat down the cheerleaders were starting their performance. Alice gave me a wink, having seen a vision of how it went. I gave her a smile and turned my attention to my girlfriend who was running onto the field with the others.

The performance started off like any other. The generic pumped up song and the girls throwing their arms up, running around, throwing each other up in the air and flipping around. Rosalie usually did whatever grand solo they had, and it usually involved her running in front of the group flipping back to back across the field. Everyone was always impressed, tonight was like any other night in that way. The routine ended with her landing her last flip with a mid-air spin in the middle of the others who were posed in perfect pyramids.

We all started to clap but then a new song came on. This was different, usually they only performed to one song. It was 'I Kissed a Girl' which was odd, because I would have never guessed the coach would have approved the song. The team started a new routine. Rosalie disappeared behind the team in the middle of them lifting girls to stand on the top of others in the air. The cheerleaders at the tops of the pyramids held signs this time, and from left to right they flipped the signs over. I read the signs as they were revealed. WILL…YOU…GO TO…THE…DANCE…WITH was what they read, I wondered who was getting asked. Then the two middle pyramids separated as the cheerleaders at the base held the girls steady.

Rosalie came running through towards the crowd. Once she had passed through the cheerleaders she began a series of flips still moving towards the edge of the field near the crowd. I noticed a sign laying on the field face down right in her path. She perfectly timed her flip to land with her hands on the sign. When she landed on her feet she held it and I could read the final message. ME it said with an arrow pointed down. Holy shit, she was asking me.

Most of the crowd didn't know who she was asking, all of the parents and family members. Everyone who went to the school knew and looked right at me. If I were human my cheeks would have been tomatoes. My jaw dropped open slightly, then a smile took its place. I threw my hand over my mouth in surprise and watched as she mouthed "Will you?" as she looked me in the eyes from the edge of the field. I shook my head and mouthed "yes."

She dropped the sign and ran up to the bleachers, climbing with ease over the rail. When she reached me, she put her arm around me and gave me the best kiss I have ever had. I heard some applause from the crowd, accompanied by some whistling and cat calls. The announcer started over the microphone about the start of the third quarter. I hadn't realized but the song had stopped and the girls were off the field. We must have been kissing for longer than I thought.

"Holy shit, Rose." I said when we stopped kissing.

"See how much better it is when you let me plan things." She said, then she whispered the next part "If you think this was good, just imagine how good it will be when I plan more intimate things."

My jaw dropped again, I felt electricity run through my body. I looked at her dumbfounded, but she just gave me a small kiss on the cheek and turned to walk back down to the team. When she was a couple steps down she turned her head slightly my way.

"See you after, sweetie." She said a little cocky.

I turned to Alice who had her phone up to me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I was recording it, silly." She said.

"You can stop now." I said putting my hand up to the camera on the phone. She just shrugged and put her phone down.

"Did you know she was going to do that?" I leaned in and asked Alice.

"Of course. She talked to me about it a few weeks ago. Glad you two worked things out before all of this, that would have been awkward." She said leaning in to respond.

"Yeah me too. Can you just tell me not to do anything stupid next time she is planning something like this?" I said joking.

"I could sure try, but you are a walking disaster. A very cute disaster, but a disaster still." She said.

"I see your point."

"Besides, you too love each other. You don't need me to figure things out." She said giving my shoulder a nudge.

I didn't respond to her, but it got me thinking. Is it obvious to everyone that I feel the way I do? I mean yeah, everyone knows we are dating and like each other. Can they see how much I am in love with her? Is it time for me to tell her? I thought about it the rest of the game. My history with love hadn't been the greatest. The last person I told that to left me when life changed.

After the game, we saw Rosalie again. Alice was almost bouncing when we approached her. I was smiling but a little more reserved, I hadn't gotten over the halftime and my thoughts had been kind of deep since then. Alice jumped up and hugged her.

"You did so good!" She squeaked out while giving Rose a bear hug.

"Geeze, thanks." She said a little muffled by Alice.

When Alice let her, I got closer to her and gave her a kiss. She put her arm around my shoulder and kissed me back.

"How did you even get them to do all that?" I asked as we walked to our cars.

"Well, the coach knows what Carlisle does for a living. I promised a healthy donation to the schools cheerleading budget and in the same conversation asked for a small favor." She said.

"Must have been a little more than small." I said.

"It might have been enough to pay for the coach's salary for the next couple of years. That's just how passionate I am about the squad." She said giving me a wink.

"Sure, because we all know just how much you love cheerleading." Alice spoke up in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah…I love cheerleading." She said with a mock confidence. I felt like she might have been trying to hint at me. I didn't push it further though.

When I got home I helped Charlie to bed, he had fallen asleep on the couch. When I went to my room I tried to be constructive. I check my emails and my social media accounts, but all I could think about was if I should tell her I loved her. I paced my room a little bit and then resolved that I needed to talk to a friend.

I called Kate since I knew I could talk to her without it getting back to Rose somehow. She was back in Alaska, they left before school started and I hadn't seen her since then. We still talked and texted a little like the good friends we had become. I almost hung up the phone when she didn't answer on the fifth ring. Then to my surprise she answered.

"Hey Bella!" She said. I heard what sounded like a party in the background.

"Hey, I was just calling to talk, if this is a bad time I can call back." I said chickening out from telling anyone my feelings about Rosalie.

"No! I'm good, we just have some guests over from Romania. Let me walk out." I heard all the background noise go away with the shut of a door. "What's up?"

"I just needed to talk to someone. I think I might be…I don't know, it's stupid." I said feeling insecure.

"Just spit it out, cupcake." She said.

"I'm thinking that I might be falling in love with her. I don't know if I should tell her." I said. I heard Kate laugh a little on the other end. "What's funny?"

"So, you are in love with the Ice Queen?" She asked teasing.

"I don't like it when you call her that, but yeah. I just don't know if it's too soon." I said quickly.

"It's pretty obvious that she loves you. I'd say to go for it." She said sincerely.

"Should I wait a little bit? Like, how long is long enough to wait to say it after dating?" I asked.

"Erm…well, I'd say whenever you feel it?" She said a little confused. "I mean lesbians usually say it on like the first date, so you are pretty much good." She said laughing.

"Wait, really?" I asked feeling dumb.

"I'm joking. Lesbians do say 'I love you' a lot faster than straight couples though. Women as generally more in tune with that stuff. Do you know how you would do it?"

"I have no idea." I hadn't thought about it yet. I was really taking this one small step at a time. "Tonight, she asked me to the homecoming dance. It was really sweet, she got the cheerleaders to hold signs, and like flipped into asking me." I immediately regretted the way I described it. What she had done was at least fifteen times better than the way I described it.

"Wow. She is really getting into the cheerleader thing. Well, that's awesome. She is romantic, that means you have to really step it up when you tell her." She said sounding impressed.

"Ok, I'll think about how to do it. Thanks, Kate." I said sincerely.

"Anytime, Bells." She said.

I thought the rest of the night about how I would do it. I had no idea, I wasn't really that great at this stuff. I had never had to be romantic before her and she was really good at it. I wanted to do this right, I wanted it to be perfect. It was hard to think of anything good after Rosalie just got the whole team to ask me to the dance tonight. Way to make it hard for me to seem romantic.

Then I thought about how I would want to be told. I would want it to be in private, some place romantic and probably at night under the stars. It occurred to me that I had the perfect opportunity coming up, our trip. If I could figure out a good place to tell her it might be perfect. I got to work on my computer, looking up the most romantic places in the world. If I could find the right place, I could tell her that I wanted to go there. Finally, I picked a place. I just hoped I could hold it in long enough for our trip.

Before I knew it, the week had flown by and it was the night of the dance. Alice came over to get ready for the dance with me. I had asked her to help me with my makeup and my hair since I kind of lacked those skills. She took about two hours on me, and after I felt like a new person. When I looked in the mirror I was actually pleased with myself, to my surprise. She had done fake lashes, dark eye makeup and something she called 'contouring.' Whatever it was, it made me look like a queen.

She had helped me pick out a dress on an excruciating shopping trip in Port Angeles. It only took about eighty stores and a solid six hours of shopping to convince her that the dress I was wearing was the right one. I might be exaggerating, but it was pretty painful either way. The dress we finally got was a very risqué red gown with a plunging neckline. I was nervous about the neckline at first, but with my makeup and hair done I knew I look the best I had ever looked in my life. I wasn't complaining.

Alice and Jasper were going to the dance as well. They were surprisingly excited since they hadn't actually ever gone to a high school dance before. Alice had picked out a teal dress that was cut just above the knee and strapless. She did her hair in her class pixie way, her makeup bright with dark accents. Basically, she looked like the most beautiful fairy I could ever imagine.

Jasper showed up first to pick up Alice from my house. He had his hair done that day, a new look for him. He was trying to keep up with the times now, the sides of his head shaved, the top long and combed back with the volume and hold only hair product could provide. He wore a tight-fitting suit with a tie that matched Alice's dress. I took pictures for them and remarked on how cute they were together. Alice all but bounced out the door when they left, I was really happy for them.

Soon after Rosalie was knocking at the door. When I opened the door, I lost all air in my body. She took my breath away. Again, I was thankful I didn't need to breathe because I didn't think I would have it back with her around me all night. She was as stunning as I imagined she would be, even more so. She had obviously coordinated with Alice because her dress was black lace with a subtle red underneath. I guess that was her way of matching to me like the guys did with their ties. Her hair was done to one side with long loose curls streaming over her shoulder and resting near the curve of her…god the dress made her chest look good. I told her how beautiful she looked, she returned the compliment and handed me a box with a corsage of a red rose. She had another almost identical in her other hand.

Charlie took pictures of us putting them on each other and others of us posing like the happy couple we were. Before we left he awkwardly tried to warn Rosalie to respect me and have me back home. I think he was trying to do what any dad does when it comes to dances. It was a little awkward for him to try to intimidate a girl into "not pressuring me into things." God, if only he knew how it really was. He would have been warning me to try to protect Rose.

She drove us to the dance in another car I had never seen, it was a gorgeous little two-seater with a bench seat and no top. It had a long body with dramatic slopes over the front wheels. She told me it was a '45 MG. I guess she had bought it a few years back and kept it in storage for special occasions.

When we got to the dance she opened the door for me as I got out. I was a little nervous and excited. I had never been to a school dance, let alone with a girl. I had wanted this, this was what I had hoped she would want and now I was here and almost too nervous to walk in. Good thing I had the most beautiful girl in the school on my arm.

"Ready for this?" She said grabbing the handle to the doors and pausing.

"I think so, are you?" I asked.

"I'm ready to make the whole school jealous with you as my date." She said giving me a wink. My undead heart flittered at the wink.

Just as I expected, we were the talk of the dance. I didn't think we were popular or anything, I just knew that two women as romantic dates to the dance would be the root of some gossip. It was a masquerade ball theme, so we each grabbed our masks at the front. We found Alice and Jasper who were already dancing on the floor, and to be honest they were probably the best dancers here. I had already been told that my generation didn't dance, I guess that died some years ago when my vampire family was still under fifty.

We danced too, but not like we ever had before. We molded to the current times, which was odd for me since all of the dancing I had learned was from pop culture around the early nineteen-hundreds. Rose didn't skip a beat, she had her right hand around my neck swaying her hips and dipping a little with the beat of the music. Was there anything she wasn't good at? Her hips were making it hard on me, I tried my hardest to keep those kinds of thoughts out of my head.

Eventually, I got the hand of it and moved about as well as the rest of them. It was at that point that I stopped caring about trying to keep up and just had fun. When the music slowed we got close and slow danced, listening to the buzz around us. We giggled silently at some of the gossip we heard around us, not really caring about what they said we would kiss every once in a while. My favorite parts were when we got lost in the music, staring each other in the eyes like we were the only two in the room.

Alice and Jasper went home before us, they only stayed long enough to decide they would rather dance alone in their bed. I loved how in love they were and wished them well. We stayed and danced, after all, this might be the only high school dance I would go to.

Lauren was at the dance, and one of the main people we heard buzzing gossip around. After a while we decided to go out the back for some air. There was a nice little courtyard with a fountain and little lights strung up. When we were outside we were approached by Lauren and her gang of airheads.

"Enjoying the dance girls?" She said with a fake smile.

"Why yes, we are, thank you Lauren." Rosalie said with a mock sincerity. Some of the football players came out, I had never spoken to them, aside from one of them. It was the same boy who had asked me out at the beginning of the year. They came up behind the girls and stood with their arms crossed. I could tell something was about to happen.

"You know, we have been hearing a lot of people talking about how uncomfortable they are with your homosexuality being rubbed in their faces at this dance. It's really not the right place for you to be pushing your agenda." Lauren said with a little bit of attitude.

"Agenda? You know…" She paused as she got closer to Lauren, walking up to her with confidence and an attitude that pushed her point. "If my homosexuality bothers you…" She leaned in even closer until she was making Lauren uncomfortable. "Maybe you have some skeleton's in that closet that you are dealing with." She pulled back a little and scrunched her nose with her next statement. "Do you watch me change in the locker room, Lauren? Are you really just upset because you don't have the lady balls to admit it?"

She had pushed Lauren too far, and that meant that she would slap Rose across the face.

"I'm not a pervert like you. Maybe you need to be taught a lesson." She said looking back to the guys. They came forward and grabbed Rosalie. Before I could think they were in a circle hitting her and kicking her. She wasn't fighting back, she could have easily taken everyone out in a matter of seconds, but she didn't. I was getting worried, I shouted for them to stop, but they didn't listen. I was getting angry, my hands balled into fists. I knew I couldn't bite them, I couldn't let them know what we were.

I put my hands on my face and screamed in anger. My world went black. It was like I lost a few seconds of my life, and when I woke up or came back to light I was still standing there. The only difference was that no one else but Rose was there. Rose was huddled in the fetal position on the ground but peaking up at me through her hands. I must have only blacked out for a second or two.

I looked around me and saw that everyone that was around were scattered around us, no closer than twenty or thirty feet away. Many of them were near the building wall, they looked like they had been beaten up. Rosalie rushed to me after that, looking frightened.

"Did I do this?" I said.

"Yes, you screamed and threw them in all different directions. Are you ok?" She asked looking me over.

"They didn't even touch me. Are you ok?" I asked looked at her, her hair was a little disheveled.

"I'm fine. We should go inside." She said taking my arm and walking with me.

"What do we do about them?" I asked.

"I think we should just pretend it didn't happen. No one will believe them, I brought booze, I'll spike the punch and maybe the school will see they have been drinking if they bring it up later. We could always say we saw them fighting." She said calmly.

Rose went to spike the punch and bring us some to take the edge off our nerves. When she was gone I danced alone, that is until an unexpected partner came up behind me.

He whispered in my ear when he approached and I knew him right away by the sound of his voice.

"May I have this dance?" He said in a low whisper, too close to my ear for comfort. I turned to see his face, to know it was truly him. Like a figure of a dream or a ghost come back to haunt me he was there.

"Edward…What are you doing here?" I asked afraid of his answer, not sure if he was real. He took my hand and wrapped his arm around my back.

"I came to see you, to warn you. I must say I am a little surprised at the way life has…" he looked towards the direction of the punch table where Rosalie had her back to us. "Turned out."

"Warn me about what?" I said ignoring his insinuations.

"I have been watching you, I have always been keeping up with you. I need you to know that the people I am working with…they are not the kind of company one would want to keep. Your display out there is the exact type of thing that is going to gather their attention. You do not want their focus on you." He said looking back in the direction of Rosalie.

"Who?" I asked.

"Don't worry, I used my charm to convince most of the girls that the guys had a fight. The guys won't be believed if they try to come forward." He said ignoring my question.

"Who are you working with?" I pressed.

"I have to go now." He said and with that he let go and disappeared into the crowd.

Author's End note:

To see the formal dresses search in google images:

Bella:

Kristen Stewart in Reem Acra Deep V Gown with Lace Trim at Cannes Film Festival Celebrity

Rosalie (pretend the under color is the same red), first image:

Unique Sweetheart Mermaid Corset Back Floor length Black Champagne And Purple Sexy Tulle Lace Evening Dress


	48. Chapter 48

Author's Note:

Hey everyone,

So its been a while. I was away for about a month traveling Europe and Proposing to my girlfriend. After that I had a lot going on, but here I am, writing again with some inspiration. This chapter is a transition to better things. Lemons are coming, soonish. Talk about a slow burn, am I right? Well, I hope you like this. I'll keep writing tonight and hopefully bust out another chapter.

Chapter 48- Change of Plans

"Alright, I got us two punches, with all the extra goodness." Rosalie said handing me a glass of punch. She took a sip. "God, this would be so much better if it were spiked blood."

She noticed that I wasn't responding, I was looking into the crowd, trying to see if he was still here. She looked in the same direction as my sight and almost as if it bit her in the ass she noticed something. She turned her nose in the air slightly, sniffing.

"What the…" She said. Her head started looking around the room, she knew he was here.

"He was here. When you went to get the punch." I said knowing she smelled his scent.

"What did he do? What did he say? Where is he?" She rattled off quickly, not waiting for my answer.

"He said he has been watching me. He saw what I did in the courtyard." I said looking down at my drink, still a little unsure about if it was real or not.

"What else?" She pressed sounding angry. She was standing with almost perfect posture. Her hands balled in fists, the skin around her knuckles showed the tension coursing through her body as it gave was with tiny fractures.

"Not much, he said I don't want to do things like that again because he is working with…" I paused a little frustrated and unsure, I had no idea who he was working with. "some not so great people. He said they would 'Focus' on me." I said using air quotes. She didn't waste another second. She grabbed my hand and started taking me to the exit.

"What are you doing?" I asked a little shaken up.

"We need to go." She answered shortly. I stopped and pulled back on her arm, her body spun around quickly with the force of my pull, forcing her attention to me.

"Tell me what's going on." I spoke almost commandingly, looking her in the eyes.

"I'm…I'm not sure." She said. I noted a glimpse of worry in her expression, in a fraction of a second that was gone and her mask was back on. Not her masquerade décor, but the mask of nonchalance she wore every day. "Whatever it is, we can't be here. We need to get you to the family where you will be safe."

When we were in the car and driving back to the Cullen house I started asking her questions again. She kept looking behind us to make sure no one was following us. I was getting more than a little paranoid by the way she was acting.

"What the hell is going Rosalie?" I asked frustrated.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I know it can't be good. I'm just trying to make sure we are safe until we can talk to Carlisle." She said gripping the wheel so hard the metal bent slightly. I ignored it, my focus still on questioning.

"How are we not safe? We are vampires…" I said stupidly. She turned to me in thought and then looked back at the road.

"There are some really evil people…or things out there. You would be surprised what they could do." She said looking at the road.

"It's Edward, he wouldn't work with those type of things." I said as if it were common sense.

"Edward hasn't always been the squeaky-clean vamp he is now. Ol' golden boy has a past…just like the rest of us." She said.

When we pulled up Alice and Jasper were waiting out front for us. Alice must have seen everything. She swept me up in a big hug and whispered she was happy I was safe in my ear. Carlisle and Esme were waiting on the couch. Esme came to us and gave us hugs, Carlisle just stood up and greeted us.

"Hello girls. I hear you have had quite the evening." He said coolly.

"I'm not sure that describes it." Rose responded. "Are you up to speed on the situation?" She asked him in a blank tone.

"I heard what Alice saw, and that was a conversation with my son at the dance. Did I miss anything?" He asked.

"That's it. I mean, mostly. Why are you all freaking out so much?" I asked.

"Alice, do you know who he is working with?" Rosalie almost interrupted my question.

"No, I have been trying to see. Whoever it is, they have someone with the ability to block my visions. Edward isn't with them now either." She said a little frustrated with herself.

"Whoever it is, they haven't been to forks yet. I took a lap around and there are no new scents." Jasper said.

"Good. That gives us some time." Rosalie said in thought. She was tapping her chin with her index finger while thinking.

"Excuse me! What the hell is going on?" I asked with my voice a raised and hands in the air. My voice brought them out of thought and they all looked at me like I had two heads. "Can someone please explain to me how I am in danger, because it sucks not knowing what the hell you are talking about." I said upset. Rosalie turned her head to the side as she examined my emotions. It was as if she noticed for the first time just how upset I was. Alice tightened her arm around my side to show me comfort.

"We think Edward has been mingling with some unsavory people. He might have joined up with a clan that is dangerous. That clan may have gained knowledge of your power, your power is very coveted by many vampires seeking power in our world." Carlisle explained.

"How would they know about me?" I asked. "Who are they?"

"I'm not sure yet, they could have heard it from the Denali or could have had a vision. They might have someone with an ability to seek out others with abilities. I doubt the Denali would talk to anyone knowing how dangerous that could be for you." He responded.

"So, it could be anyone?" I asked again.

"Yes, unfortunately that is correct. It might be a good idea for you to lay low for a while. I can talk with some of my contacts, see if any clan has been gaining power. You can stay here while we investigate this." Carlisle stated.

"Edward used to run with the Sitientes. I'm positive its them. Which means we need to get out while we can." Rosalie said passion, her hands audibly cracking under the pressure of her own clinched fist.

"It's a strong possibility. Edward is not like them anymore though." Carlisle responded.

"How do you know that? Golden boy hasn't exactly been around. Last time he ran off he ended up with them. What's to say he didn't go back?" Rosalie said using her now open palms expressively as she spoke.

"It's possible, we should probably take precautions in case that is true. Alice, I need you to stay on top of those visions. I need to know any glimpse you get of the group." He instructed turning to Alice.

"Of course." She responded.

"Who are the Sitientes?" I asked.

"A well-known clan with a territory covering New York and most of Pennsylvania. Their name is Latin for 'Thirst driven.' They are a very powerful, very volatile clan. Somewhat like a gang." Jasper explained.

"They have been known to seek out those who might further their power." Carlisle added.

"And they won't take no for an answer I take it?" I said.

"They haven't been known to be too diplomatic, if that answers your question." Jasper answered.

"And that is why we need to go, before they come after us." Rosalie said still upset.

The room was quiet for a moment. Carlisle held his closed hand to his chin, staring at the floor in thought as he paced. Not a breath was released out of the group as everyone waited for his thoughts to be shared.

"I think I agree with you. I could take leave, we could visit the Denali for a while until we can figure out if it is them." Carlisle suggested.

"No. That's too close for comfort still. You can go there; Bella and I will leave early for our trip. We won't be staying in one place too long. It's our best option." Rosalie looked at me. "Would that be ok? We can figure out the graduation stuff later."

"I …erm." I couldn't think. She came closer and took my hands in hers.

"Your safety is the most important thing in this world to me." She said looking in my eyes. I knew she meant it, and that's all I needed in that moment. I would go with her anywhere.

"Ok, let me just tell Charlie our trip has changed. I don't know how I am going to explain this away." I said rolling my eyes.

"It doesn't matter, we will figure it out." She responded.

It didn't take long for everyone to disperse and begin packing. I changed into some of Rosalie's Sweat pants and wore an old shirt of hers. It was a led zeppelin shirt, but unlike most of the vintage band t-shirts I had seen, this one was old and worn. I was pretty sure it was actually an old band t-shirt, not some replica vintage shirt. Either way, it just felt good to be in her clothes. They smelled like her and I liked it so much that I pinched the shirt and held it to my face every once in a while, just to smell it better.

I laid on her bed while she packed, mostly just watching her figure out what she wanted to bring. After she finished packing she went on the computer. Once she was on the right page she turned to me and thought for a moment.

"Where do you want to go first?" She said breaking the silence. I thought for a second. I tried to think of the place I had wanted to see the most. I had seen a picture of a city in Greece one time, and ever since then it had been at the top of my list.

"Santorini? Can we do that?" I asked. "Maybe you can pick the next place after that?"

"Sounds incredible, it's probably the best time of year for us to go too. Hardly any tourists and we can get away with long sleeves." She said with a small smile. Although the circumstances of our trip were not ideal, I could tell she was still excited to go. I had a hard time thinking about leaving Charlie, I still wasn't sure what to tell him.

"I need to go home and talk to Charlie. It's time for the dance to be over and I know he is waiting up." I said looking down at my fidgeting fingers.

"Ok, I'm just finishing booking a hotel for us. Give me about five minutes and we can go." She said not looking up from the computer. She typed inhumanly fast for another minute before dramatically clicking the last key. "and done!"

She looked to me, I didn't respond to her or even acknowledge her statement. I just sat on her bed, still looking at my hands fidgeting. I was mulling over what to say to Charlie when she came over to the bed and wrapped her arm around me.

"Nervous about leaving?" She asked sincerely.

"No. I am nervous about telling Charlie and leaving him here alone. All of this is just happening really fast." I said feeling like I was in a dream. All of this didn't quite feel real, like I was watching some other version of my life play out before me. Sitting there, from the outside looking in, having no control over the events of my existence.

"It's going to be ok, I'm sorry that all of this is happening so fast. Things will work themselves out, we just have to focus on keeping you safe. It just so turns out that we get to see the world while doing just that." She said taking my hand, pulling it up to her soft lips. Her gentle breath danced along my skin as she held it so close. After a moment she placed one small kiss on the back of my hand, a gesture meant to comfort, but it ignited a fire within me. What was wrong with me? My world was going up in flames and all I could think about now was her lips. I needed to cage the beast within me before I got in even more trouble.

"I think I should tell him that Renee and Phil are having trouble and we need to go be with her to comfort her." I said bringing my thoughts back to more reasonable things.

"That sounds like a good idea. We can say my family offered to get us a private tutor to home school us the rest of the semester. That should be believable on the school aspect of the situation, since my family is known to have money." She said still holding my hand.

"Wait, you want to let it be known that you and I are together? I guessed I assumed it would be just me leaving in this story we told him." I said a little stupidly.

"Well, I figure I need a story for not being at school too. This kills two birds with one stone. Don't human couples stick together when family problems arise? I had thought this was customary still. I guess if you think it's too much…" She said looking down, sinking into her own thoughts. I perked up and put my arm around her in an effort to make her feel better.

"No! I mean, it is. I just wasn't thinking." I said a bit too enthusiastically.

Once I had convinced her that it was in fact a good idea to tell him she was coming with me, we grabbed the rest of her stuff. She surprisingly only had one bag to bring, this shamed Alice, Rosalie had to promise to let Alice send her clothes periodically so that her "wardrobe would not grow tired." We hugged the family giving them heartfelt goodbyes, knowing that if we were all human we would have needed a couple boxes of tissues.

We then went to my house, I changed back into my dress before we got there, just to make it seem like I had been at the dance the whole time. We greeted Charlie who was sitting in his usual spot on the couch. I told him about how I had gotten a phone call on the way to the dance from Renee, that she was going through a hard time. I told him that Rosalie had talked with her father and he had offered to allow us to go be with her in Florida. He would pay for a reputable tutor to help us finish out the semester, which would get us to the point of graduation.

He seemed a bit shocked, but took it well for the most part. He was never one to stand in anyone's way. He knew that the women of the family were stubborn and that they could not be swayed once they had their minds on something.

"So, when do you plan to leave then?" He asked sitting up in his chair. He stood up and began to walk to the kitchen to grab another beer.

"Well, that's the part I know you won't like. Tonight." I said sheepishly. He shut the fridge door a little harder than normal when I said that.

"Bells…I can't let you go driving off on a two-day drive tonight!" He said waving his unopened beer around in his hand as he spoke. He popped the lid open and fizz bubbled over on his hands and his pants. "God da…ahm." He composed himself slightly, flinging off the beer from his hands, pursing his lips and looking to the girls.

"It's not like that, I booked us two red eye flights directly there from Seattle. My parents offered to drive us there. It's hardly dangerous." Rosalie spoke calmly.

Charlie huffed as he still stood there in the kitchen, his lips still pursed under his fuzzy mustache. His eyes went from Rosalie to me as he started to speak, but he stopped closing his mouth again. I walked to the kitchen, grabbing him a towel to help him dry off his hands.

"Dad, I will be ok. I will call when we get in. I'll be back before you know it." I said handing him the towel. He sighed and hugged me.

"Dad! My dress, you are getting beer…" I protested.

"Deal with it Bells." He said bear hugging me. He released me and motioned for me to go upstairs. "Alright, well you better get packing."

I packed a bag about the same size as Rosalie's, only taking the things that I thought I would need. As soon as I was finished we both hugged Charlie and said our goodbyes. Alice was there when we walked outside, she was the one who was actually going to drive us. We piled my bag on top of Rosalie's in the back and made our way to the airport. Alice got out to give us our final goodbye once we pulled up the British airways stop.

"You are going to have the best time, I will keep an eye on your dad…so you don't worry about him, ok?" She said as she hugged me tightly.

"I promise." I said immersed in a bear hug that rivaled Emmett's.

I hadn't even let myself think about how long of a journey we had until I saw the tickets. We were flying directly to London, then to Athens and finally to Santorini. It was a seventeen-hour trip in all. Rosalie got us all checked in, all I basically had to do was hand her my passport, which luckily had just arrived the week before.

We made our way through security, and to the gate. Rosalie held my hand almost the whole way, excitement beaming from her as we walked. She was almost a totally different person from the woman I first knew. Her face held the same collected expression she always wore, but each time I spoke about us or the trip I saw a smile threatening to invade her lips. I could tell she was living out a dream of hers. That settled my fears about leaving and actually made me a little excited too.

Once we boarded I was shocked to see that she had booked us first class. We each had our own seats surrounded by small walls and a tv. The seats lay all the way back and had nice blankets. We were sitting in seats diagonal from each other, which allowed us to make eye contact. I flashed her a smile, and she returned one for me. I had never seen anything like this. The first class on the plane to Seattle from Phoenix was just like coach, just a little bit wider seats. The trip was off to a good start as the lady brought us Champagne. I could get used to this.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49- Come fly away with me

Authors note:

So, I had a concerning review that I wanted to address upfront and see what you guys thought. I will keep writing, but not update until I get some feedback about this issue. I was basically accused of toying with you guys, putting too much angst into the story. I have plans for the story, and they do involve an angsty ending, but a good one. I don't want to make you guys unhappy at all, so I need some thoughts. As always, thank you for your reviews. They keep me going in the direction I am heading and keep me writing. Enjoy some fluff.

Bella POV-

Our flights went by pretty fast, especially since I was into a book I had brought with me. Rosalie also read, and listened to music. Our other flights were also first class but more like the type of first I had seen before. We sat next to each other, holding hands in a comfortable existence.

When we arrived to Santorini it was night time again. We had lost almost a complete day in our traveling. We made our way through customs with no trouble and found a taxi. Rosalie spoke to the driver in Greek, a language I had no idea she knew.

"I didn't know that you knew Greek?" I said surprised as we road to our hotel.

"I don't consider myself to be fluent, I can just get by. Esme is fluent and speaks it beautifully though." She said looking out the window at the street lights.

We climbed up and down in the taxi, often getting into a small traffic jam. The driver wasn't shy to honk or shout out his window at pedestrians or other drivers. I didn't really care, it was all just new to me. The city was beautiful but it took my breath away when we finally saw the coast line. Our hotel was nestled along the coast in the hills.

Rosalie paid the man as he got out our bags, he made a comment as he smiled, she only gave him a smirk back. I didn't have to know Greek to know he was commenting on her beauty. When she turned to me she rolled her eyes, I just laughed.

After we checked in we finally made it to our room. It was the most beautiful room I had ever seen. When we walked in I knew it was a suite, it had multiple rooms, all with open rounded doorways. The walls were a white stone, candles lit the rooms in a way that set only one kind of mood. Rosalie took my bag to get our things situated, I explored our place. We had a living room with a fireplace, a king size bed in our spacious bedroom and a door that led out to our personal patio, including a pool that seemed to end where the distant sea began.

The view from the patio was like a scene from a postcard. The coastline curved around creating a smaller cove around the rolling and rocky hills. Buildings piled up on those rocks making the hills busy with white. The lights from the other buildings lit up the area like fireflies. In the distance, hanging just over the end of the sea was a giant moon, so bright I could make out the craters it contained.

I stood with my palms pressed on the railing of our balcony, lost in the scenery when I felt arms surround my waist. The dream was complete with her intoxicating smell. A small kiss was placed on the back of my neck as I sank back into her warm embrace. I let myself mold around her and relax, taking in the bit of heaven surrounding us. Finally, I turned to face her. We shared what was probably the best kiss of my life.

Her hands moved up to meet my sides, mine moved up to cup her face and then settle intertwined around the back of her neck. My body was pulled to her like I were in her orbit and she was my center of gravity. I instinctively hopped on her hips, knowing she would catch my legs. My legs wrapped around her hips, squeezing my now throbbing center into hers. She broke our kissing to set me down.

"We need to settle down." She said gently whipping her lower lip.

"If not now, then when?" I protested crossing my arms.

"I just want it to be the right time, for it to be special." She said quietly. My jaw dropped.

"So, being in Greece, with the sea and the lights, and all of this…" I motioned dramatically with my arms. "What the fuck is special then?" I said in astonishment.

"Just give it time, ok? Please?" She begged in a way that made me feel bad for pushing it again.

"Sorry, you just, you just work me up, you know?" I said feeling embarrassed.

"Trust me, I know the feeling." She said with a smirk.

The next day we decided to explore the city. It was an overcast day so it was perfect for us. She took me through the town and to a café where we drank wine while watching passersby. We talked about her trying to help me with my powers on our trip, saying it was important now more than ever for me to become fully in control.

After we were feeling a pretty good buzz we wandered back towards our hotel. On the way we saw a big street market. She led me into the market hand in hand. As soon as we crossed through the door an array of smells hit me like a brick. Raw meats hung from wood posts, fish laid out on beds of ice, fresh produce lined the walk ways. The place was crowded with people bargaining for the cheapest price they could get. We came up to a seller of fresh spices. The booth was so fragrant it was hard to keep from sneezing.

"Bella, I want you to cook me a meal. It would be lovely." Rosalie whispered in my ear.

"Neither of us would enjoy this food." I contested gently.

"There are recipes catered to our specific diet. Remember the picnic I made for you?" She still spoke into my ear. Chills ran up my spine from her breath on my ear.

"I can, but I'll need …really fresh goods." I said back. My chills had just dissipated when she spoke again, causing my skin to tense up again.

"There is one catch. I want you to make the meal using only your powers. Consider it a romantic endeavor that doubles as a lesson." She said before she broke our contact to play human looking at the spices. "Freshly grated garlic. How lovely." She said to the large hairy man behind the stand.

"Garlic. Yes." The man stated with a thick accent. Nodding his head as he answered.

We picked up a couple of bottles of wine from the market and headed back home to our hotel. The rest of the day we spent in our personal pool, drinking wine and getting close. We lost track of time and before we knew it the night had come. We sat in our robes on the balcony at our little table, just watching the sunset while laughing and talking.

"Now, I want you to pour me a glass and hand it to me." She said giggling a little more than a sober Rose would. I looked at her puzzled, and laughed. She could be so odd sometimes, I reached for the bottle when her hand playfully slapped mine away. "No! I mean with your power. Honestly, I could pour myself a glass using my hands. This is really for your benefit."

"Yeah, ok. Me pouring you another glass is for my own good." I said sarcastically.

"Just try it." She said tilting her head and raising one brow. She held her glass out for me to pour.

I focused hard on the bottle in front of me. It shook on the table, causing a loud rattling as it lifted in the air. Had the bottle been fuller I might have spilled some. The bottle shakily tilted in the air, hovering over her glass in her outstretched hand. I trying to steady the bottle but I put too much focus into it. I caused the bottle to flick a little harder as the wine was pouring. Wine spilled all over her hand and ran down her arm. She started laughing harder as I quickly let the bottle down the its place on the table.

"Well, thank you, but I think I have more wine on my arm than in my glass." She said repositioning her glass to her other hand, shaking off her arm.

"Hey, you wanted it." I said matter-of-factly.

"You know, I was thinking that we could take a hike tomorrow night and stay out under the stars. Maybe you could make this dinner over a fire on the beach. That could be fun, what do you think?" She said after a minute of watching the sunset in thoughtful silence.

"Yeah, I was racking my brain earlier thinking of recipes. I think I have an idea, but I have to warn you that it may not turn out great. I am used to cooking human food, I don't know how well it will translate when it's mostly a blood base." I said with a laugh.

"I'm sure it will be amazing. We can stop by the market and get anything you need tomorrow, I mean, as far as pots and spices." She said back.

We set out with just our backpacks the next day. After we got everything we needed from the market, including a small pan, we hiked to the beach Rose had in mind. It was only a short distance for us but it was almost on the opposite side of the island. We approached the beach from the top of a tall cliff, stopping when we stood on the edge.

The view was incredible, the crystal blue water went on for what seemed to be forever. The tall white cliffs hugged this small bay in front of us, never dipping to allow access to the beach below. This was truly a secluded beach, as no human that valued their life would attempt to venture down the steep smooth cliffs. It was a good thing that we were much more durable than the average human.

"Ready?" She said as she grabbed my hand.

"It must be a hundred feet down." I said tightening my grip on her hand. "Let's do it."

I jumped and within a fraction of a second Rosalie had followed. We flew through the air for what felt like forever, but it was at most two seconds. Our feet hit the sand with enough force to shatter a tree, but both of us rolled out of our landing. Laughing off the hard landing that would have killed any other creature on the island.

I rolled over on top of her in almost one swift motion after we landed. I might have been aiming my roll towards her on purpose, I always gravitated to her. She was still laughing and smiling.

"That's why I love.. your sense of adventure! You aren't afraid of anything aside from hurting someone's feelings." She said. The only thing I really heard was love though.

"What did you…" I asked trailing off furrowing my brow at first, but a smile invaded my lips and swept away the confused expression.

"I said you aren't afraid of anything." She said moving out from under me. She smoothly kissed my forehead as she got up. She knew what she said, but she wasn't going to admit it.

"Erm, ok, just checking." I said still positioned on top of the now empty spot below me, palms stuck the sand. I rolled my eyes and got up.

Rosalie set her bag down and began to take her clothes off. Her sparkling flat stomach making the sea jealous of her beauty. She quickly but smoothly took her pants off and let them fall to the ground. I just watched in awe of her, my jaw fallen.

"You'll catch flies like that, you know." She said playfully.

"I just, so we are…"

"Swimming. Unless you prefer to just lay and catch some sun. We have the freedom to do whatever here." She finished for me. My mind was in a far different place from hers when she said we could do whatever here. I snapped my jaw shut and grabbed my mind out of the dirty place it was in. I took off my shirt and pants and joined her in the water.

All sorts of fish were swimming around us, you didn't even have to be a vampire to spot them either. The water was so clear, even a human could almost see their feet in the water. I knew I would have no trouble hunting for fish when it was time to cook dinner.

Our bodies danced together in the water for most of the day, the other times were spent taking long breaks laying on the beach taking in the sun we seldom got to experience. When it was dusk I decided to try to cook our dinner. I went to get the pan out of the backpack when I heard a tisk from behind me.

"No hands." She called out. Rosalie hadn't moved from her spot laying on the beach, she hadn't even looked up at me. I rolled my eyes but focused on the pan, moving it out from the bag and placing it on the sand. I was getting ahead of myself. I needed a fire after all.

I saw a small long washed up on the beach farther down the beach and moved it closer. I used my power and strength to break it apart into pieces. That wasn't hard, I had no trouble breaking things, it was the delicate stuff I struggled with. I focused all of my energy in making two very small pieces rapidly rub against each other until a small bit of smoke began to pillow out of the middle.

Before long I had a small flame going, and more wood adding to it. Now I had to stack the wood in a way that would allow me to lay the pan on it. It took about ten minutes to get that right, I wasn't the best at precise movements after all. I might have let a few expletives fly in that process. Finally, I was satisfied with my creation and went to hunt for fish.

Standing along the shore I focused on the fish I could see swimming, I picked a few and brought them up into the air. It was an odd sight to see a fish flopping around mid-air above the water. I tilted my head to the side and with that the spine of the fish gave way. I didn't want it to suffer any longer than it had to.

I was planning on making fish blood sausage, and the hardest part was draining the fish into the lining of the sausage with accuracy. I had to go back to the water several times to get more fish to finish filling the sausages. Finally, I was able to add the spices. I might add, opening plastic sleeves with the mind is a battle. I burst a bag of spices in frustration. Luckily, we had an extra. Rosalie watched the process, occasionally snickering at my failings. Usually, her laughs were directed at my reaction to my failings though. I was becoming fluent in the language of grunting and sighing.

Finally, I was able to throw the sausages on and within moments we had dinner ready. I used my power to semi neatly lay out a blanket and plates for us. To be honest, it looked like a three-year-old set out picnic up, but I was working with what I could.

We sat down and I served her a couple of sausages and myself some. To my surprise, they weren't half bad. The fire kept us company, a nice addition to the night sky above us. The whole night was perfection from that moment on. There was nothing in my world but the gentle waves, a fire, the sky and my Rose.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50- Olive Juice

Author's Note:

Thank you for all of the feedback! It means so much! I promise the ending will not mess with our happy couple too much. I hope you enjoy this, its a special chapter that just happened to fall on fifty. I really didn't plan this, but its cool that a big moment happens here. I might just be a nerd for thinking that though. Anyways, enjoy it and keep commenting for me, I love it.

Rosalie's POV

We spent a week and half total in Santorini before we made our way up the Adriatic coast. We stayed a night here and there, taking the train up through Croatia all the way to Slovenia. We stopped in city near one of its more famous castles. The city was of particular interest for many vampires and vampire fans.

When I say vampire fans, I mean the freaks who think they are vampires or feed into the folklore. Many tourists invade the city each day hoping to catch a glimpse of the life forms they hope exist. Little do they know that the real attraction they seek is there. It's there, in the shadows, in the less busy alleys and bars.

The town is governed by a few "in the coffin" vampires, or vampires like my family, living as humans in broad daylight. They keep the police force from invading the eateries and bars meant to be visited by our kind. A simple handshake grants our kind access into such places. You either have to be as cold as us or outright dead to enter, because no one of warm blood is permitted.

I booked us a room in a secluded hotel just outside of town. It was inside a cliff that had been dug out and made into rooms. The walls were that of a light gray stone, with dramatic curved doorways. Our room was a suit complete with a large bath built into the floor of our large room. Ledges were carved out of the walls, lined with lit candles, the wax melted down many of the ledges from the past guests. We had a wooden balcony built off the side of our room with a view of the city below. Aside from the obvious age of the caves, the room was furnished with very modern furniture, making it charming and romantic.

Bella was shocked at the beauty of the room, even more so than our room in Greece. I was nervous that she wouldn't like it as much as me. I had seen the hotel on some show many years back and knew that I wanted to visit one day when it was for a special occasion. This was going to be one visit that she wouldn't forget for the rest of her everlasting life. I was planning to take her into town for a nice dinner, a dinner date like normal people had in a town where vampirism was normal, or at least more of an occurrence.

I planned to tell her that night just how much I had fallen in love with her. My dead heart ached in my chest when I thought of it, wishing I could blurt it out each time I looked at her. I was nervous to tell her, nervous to be in this room, this room I had been planning to stay in for months. I didn't plan for it to be so soon, but I did plan on being here and telling her here.

She explored the room, going out on the balcony to see the town below. I couldn't help but follow her. I always followed her, and just like the times before, I put my arms around her as she stood there. It was all I could do to keep from whispering my true feelings in her ear. I settled for a kiss to the back of her neck. Her skin tensed into small bumps under my lips. If only she knew how hard she made it on me to wait.

"We need to get dressed, I made dinner plans." I said lowly.

"Dinner plans? Are we going to share a deer?" She teased.

"No, this town is different. There is an abnormal amount of our kind here. There are many places that are open just for our business. I made reservations at a restaurant catered to our, well, diet." I said in response to her joking.

"Interesting. What should I wear then?"

"Maybe the dress, I'm going to wear one of mine." I said, knowing we only had a couple of nice dresses each. I was still trying to decide on black or blue.

Just then a knock was at our door, it started both of us, our heads craning to listen in that direction. I went to answer it. The concierge was there with a package in a box with a waybill.

"This came for you yesterday." He stated as he handed it to me. He quickly walked away. He was nervous around us before, I could see that didn't wear off.

It was from Alice, addressed to me. I opened it tearing it open with ease. Inside was a beautifully wrapped package with a note.

This will help for Tonight.

Love,

Alice

P.S. Wear the blue dress.

I rolled my eyes when I looked inside and saw lace white panties and a lace push up bra. My own sister was now sending me lingerie to help me out. Bella approached me from behind and I closed the box a little too defensively.

"What was it?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, erm, it's part of the night. I don't want to give it away." I said sheepishly. If I were human my cheeks would have been beet red.

"Ok, well, I'm going to change." She said as she planted a kiss on my cheek.

We each wore stunning dresses, but Bella looked like a dream in hers. I helped her with makeup, like the good girlfriend I am. She looked like a goddess, I was stunned by her and so proud to have her on my arm in town. We weren't too formal, just appearing like two women out for a night on the town. We had taken a private car to the edge of town and walked the rest of the way.

Nestled in on a seemingly barren street was our restaurant. We had to walk in through the back door and down a flight of stairs to get to the front door of the actual restaurant. A guard stood outside the door, when we approached he held out his hand for mine. I flashed him a smile on instinct, but he didn't return the gesture. He only nodded when he felt my skin. Bella followed my action and the two of us went in the door to see a beautiful but small place. There could have only been a total of fifteen tables in the whole place, but the atmosphere was perfect. It was dimly lit with a soft acoustic guitar being played by a young man on the far side of the restaurant. The hostess sat us at our table, a small table for two along the far wall. It was perfect because it was more private.

A cheerful waitress with a thick accent approached us after a few minutes, bringing us wine glasses. She placed silverware on the table and gave us the specials.

"My name is Rebecca, I will be serving you this evening. Might I recommend the from the vein table side all you can feed service? Tonight, we have a selection of nine delightful options of human specimen to choose from. Ranging in age, background, ethnicity and build." The waitress said enthusiastically.

The table next to us was approached by their waiter with a human man, upon their arrival the man threw his head down harshly on the table, the glasses at the table rattled, his stance exposed his neck.

"This is Jerry, he hails from the mountains of Tennessee, USA. He contains an Oaky undertone, and a strong flavor of hickory and honey. His finish is subtle and rustic. Would you like to try Jerry?" The waiter said to the table next to us.

"I think we will order from the menu actually." I said with an awkward smile.

She offered us blood infused wine and spirits. I opted to order plain spirits and let her know that we were restricted to animal products. She seemed a bit puzzled but showed us items on the menu that might interest us.

"Why didn't you get the blood infused wine?" Bella asked when the waitress had left.

"Its most likely human blood. I just don't want to risk drinking it. I'm perfectly fine with staying a vegetarian." I said with a smile. She nodded and eyed the menu again.

When the waitress returned we each ordered. I decided on curdled lambs blood with the dried flakes. Bella tried the more adventurous aged pheasant blood bake with a side of ox blood pudding. The waitress happily took our menus and pranced back towards the kitchen.

I placed my hand on Bella's across the table while we watched the guitar player. Our food didn't take long, but we enjoyed the little wait we had. It was amazing to be out on a date with her, in public. I wanted her to have that sense of a normal date, one where we could be ourselves, eat and talk in public. We had never had that, and she deserved that. I deserved that.

We finished our meal, paid the bill, leaving the kind waitress a healthy tip and went on our way. I had another stop in mind. I had heard from Carlisle that there was a bar lounge that played music as a normal thing. We walked hand in hand under the lit night sky to the place I was instructed to go.

Once past the body guard we entered a scene out of the thirties. I was at home here, everything about it reminded me of my past. It was all painted black with dim lights in the place. Up front was a big band playing music. The place was a scene out of a speak easy. On the dance floor were a group moving to the big band playing. We stopped by the bar and ordered expensive animal infused spirits. My nerves were growing and I needed every bit of liquid courage I could get.

After a drink I invited Bella to join me on the floor. We danced perfectly to the fast-paced west coast swing the band played. The first few songs kept us moving a smiling. She was catching my breath over and over with her laugh and her smile. I bit my lip in an effort to hide my reoccurring smile. I couldn't help but smile when she looked the way she did. My world was complete and the sound of her happiness. This night was all I was living for, she was all that gave me meaning. I was in this deep and I needed her badly.

"Alright ladies and gents, we are going to slow it down a bit. Grab your loved one and hold them close!" The raspy woman with the mic said. I knew the song well, it was none other than Etta James, A Sunday Kind of Love.

Bella gave me a small smile, seeming nervous herself, although I'm not sure why. I held out my hand, she took it and I held her close around the small of her back. We swayed back and forth, slowly making circles in the center of the floor. The floor was busy with many couples in their own world.

I pressed her body close to mine as we danced, my head almost in the crook of her neck. Her hair gave off the most heavenly scent I had ever experienced. I was content in just feeling the sway of our bodies and I lead us back and forth. This was the time, I couldn't let it pass by and miss my opportunity. I couldn't bear to keep it in anyways.

"Bella." I said softly into her ear. I felt her purr back in acknowledgement. "You mean the world to me. These past months have been the most cherished in all of my existence and I…I just want you to know that I have fallen deeply in love with you."

The second it took for her to take that in felt just as long as my eighty some years on this planet. She backed slightly away from my embrace and I felt my heart drop, I thought it was going to drop out of my chest. She didn't break my hold though, no, she just looked into my eyes.

She looked into my eyes deeper than anyone ever had. She saw every part of me, every hope and every dream I had. She saw what I needed the world to see, but also who I really was. I knew that she knew me, and her response to all of that, to all of me was the most shocking revelation of my life.

"I love you too, Rose. So much." She said shaking her head. She was at a loss for the right words. Her answer was all I needed, all my life hinged on. I was thanking the gods that she actually did love me. She made the distance between us and kissed me in a way that I had yet to feel. It was the kiss of a woman that loved me, a kiss to affirm that it was true. She kissed me so softly, and slowly that it fit perfectly with our dancing. We kept kissing softly as we danced in circles slowly until our song ended. Yes, that would be our song.

We danced there, in close embrace for hours. We just didn't want the perfect night to end. This was what I had been waiting for though. I had been waiting to express my love to her, I wanted that to be said before we became intimate. Now I was ready, oh god, I was ready. I felt a fire burning within me as we danced close. Each movement of her body had me begging for more. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore.

"I want you." I whispered in her ear as we danced close. I heard her gulp loudly.

"You…what?" She said as she stiffened.

"You heard me, I want to show you just how much I love you." I whispered in her ear. I smiled at the reaction of her skin by my breath. Her body was rigged but we kept dancing until he song ended. I led her off the floor when the song come to a close.

She was quiet as we walked back to the edge of town. I held her hand, but became worried at her silence. I wondered if she was frightened by the extent of my feelings.

"Bella. Are you ok?" I asked.

"Yeah. Why?" She said softly.

"Well, I told you I love you and that I want you. You have been sort of off since the later part. I guess I'm just worried that it's too much." I said worried. She didn't answer right away. I looked to her face after a moment. "Bella?"

"It's not too much. I love you, I love you more than you even know. I guess I just didn't expect you to ever give in about the other. Now that you want to, I am scared. What's wrong with me?"

"You mean to tell me that you have been trying to jump my bones for months and now you are scared?" I asked in amazement.

"What if I am not good, or attractive to you?" She asked a bit bashful and self-conscious. I stopped suddenly and turned to stand in front of her. I reached my right hand up to cup her beautiful soft cheek.

"You are the most gorgeous thing I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. There is no world in which I would not be completely attracted to you. I'm scared too though. I've never been with a girl." I said looking into her eyes. A small smile invaded her lips and my world was ok again. "Let's just be ourselves and let things happen. I'm ok if it's not tonight."

"Sounds good. Thank you. I guess it makes me feel better that you are just as new to this as me." She said with a small laugh.

Truth be told, there wasn't a chance that we would be able to keep our hands off each other that night. Who did we think we were kidding?


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51- Like a Virgin

Author's note:

I hope you like it sour, because this chapter is all lemons. Enjoy.

Bella's POV

The car Rose arranged picked us up was a private with a glass dividing us from our driver. Although the ride was short, it felt like forever. Electricity filled the air between us and a silent understanding of our thoughts were shared. I knew that she was ready to take our relationship to the next level and that actually scared the shit out of me.

She looked so beautiful sitting next to me, like a goddess. I didn't deserve to be in the same back seat as her, let alone share a bed with her. Now that I knew that I had a chance I was afraid of touching, kissing or moving the wrong way. She had at least been with someone, for god's sake she had years of experience.

It's not like I wasn't ready for it, because god knows how many times I've tried to jump her bones, but now that it actually came down to it, I'm not sure how well I would do. I was getting inside my head when I felt her hand on my thigh. It must have snapped me out of my thoughts a little too quick, because I jumped. A deep and sexy chuckle escaped her lips, and I watched her mouth the word "relax". How can she just expect me to relax? I almost felt like pouting, but who in their right mind would pout about being nervous before having sex with a goddess?

Her fingers softly played with mine, just like so many times before. This time the sensation was so much deeper. The warm tingling traveled from my fingers up my arm and to the rest of my body. I watched our fingers dance and play as we rode to our hotel, sneaking glances at her along the way. She sat with her attention out her own window. Her image belonged in a magazine, but no publication could ever be lucky enough to contain her beauty. Her long blonde hair waved as it lay perfectly on her perking breasts. Her lips so full, painted with a soft red lipstick were slightly open. She was deep in thought each time I stole a glance, that drove me crazy. I wished I had Edwards gift in that moment.

Before I knew what happened, the car pulled up to the front of our hotel and Rosalie was opening the car door for me to step outside. She tipped the driver handsomely and whisked me inside. She decided to order us some champagne from the room service while we "relaxed." I decided to go out to the pool to try to cool myself off.

I was floating around aimlessly waiting for Rose to come outside when I caught a short flash of white in the corner of my eye. Was.. Was that lingerie? Oh goddess, just take me away. I was mesmerized watching her float around the room, she must have just taken off her dress and left a lacy white bra and underwear in its wake. She was lighting the hundreds of candles all around the room, and with each one lit, I could see her perky breasts and thighs all the better. I just wish there were a few candles on the floor so I could see her bend over. Right at that moment, somewhere up in the skies, God had answered my prayers. She dropped the lighter. That moment in time was the best (up until then) moment I had ever experienced. I could see the back of her ass so well, it left nothing to the imagination. She was so beautiful, and I was so distracted that I didn't notice myself getting closer to the pool step, and that's when I tripped and plunged face first into the water.

I must have made a noise, because when I pulled myself out, she was right there in front of me with two glasses of champagne and now covered with a white robe.

"Distracted a little, are we my darling?" She said, in the most seductive voice, shaking me to my core.

"The step just kinda popped out of nowhere, did you see it?" I said, I swear my heart would have been beating out of my chest if I was a human again.

She chuckled and handed me my glass of champagne and a matching robe as I stepped out of the pool. We sat at our table on the balcony, looking at the stars and the moon over us. I tried to do my best to make small talk, I was so anxious I didn't know what else to do. She was all I could think about, I knew good and well what was under that robe, taunting me. Just as I was in the middle of a sentence about a zodiac sign ramble, she got up and walked around the table very slowly. She bent down so that her face was inches from mine and put her finger on my lips very softly.

"Listen, sweetheart, there's really no reason to be nervous" She said, looking me dead in the eyes.

"No? Why not?" I said, letting out a nervous chuckle.

She sat on my lap, took the last sip of her champagne, and got dangerously close to my ear.

"Because tonight, my sweet girl, I'm going to show you what you've been wanting for the last few months. There will be no time to think, no time to speak. I will be everywhere, all at one time. Over you, under you, and most importantly, inside of you. I love you so much, Bella. Let me show you." She finished, my core was dripping and I couldn't take it anymore.

I grabbed the back of her neck and brought her into a passionate kiss as she turned to straddle my hips. She was hovering over me at this point, I was straining just to kiss her. She must have been teasing me, because I stood up with her in my arms, and she immediately jumped down and switched our positions.

I was now backed against the wall just outside of the door frame. Her hands wandering from holding me by the hips, to cupping my ass. She grabbed a little harder, sending electricity through my body. She was everywhere, all at one time. Kissing my neck, nibbling just enough to send me into a frenzy. She sighed noticeably, and must have been done with being outside, because she turned with me in her arms and stumbled inside.

I had never seen Rosalie Hale anything but calm, cool, and composed. This was anything but. She stumbled with me in her arms, not wanting to break the passionate embrace we were in. Hitting the dresser with an audible "Shit!".

Our bodies hit the bed with force, my back taking in the blow. She landed on top of me, moving from my mouth with her soft sensual lips to travel down the side of my cheek, she kissed along my jawline, feeling my muscles tense she continued under and down my neck. She made her way slowly and methodically to the nape of my neck, after driving me wild she continued turning her attention to my collar bone and my shoulder. I arched my back into the bed, craning my neck to expose more of me to her. My hands grasped the robe on her back, reaching out again and again to her shoulders, attempting to grasp a piece of my sanity back. My mouth letting out soft sighs and moans with each kiss.

I used my hand to lightly expose more of her shoulder and chest from under her robe. Unsatisfied with the amount of freedom that gave me I paused and untied her clothing, dramatically pulling the end of her tie loose, all the while staring deeply into her eyes with a devilish grin on my face. One end of her lip turned up into her own devious smirk.

As her robe fell around her waist, her perky chest was revealed and I couldn't look away. I started kissing and nibbling her neck, earlobe, and lips. Her moans fueling me as she pressed her hips into mine. Pushing me back down onto the bed and untying my own robe with force, our skin made contact and I was high off of it. She continued downward, biting my thighs lightly, I looked down at her and she seemed surprised.

"Bella? What are you.." She trailed off as she floated slightly above me.

I let myself take control, waves of confidence and lust washing over me. I was doing all of this with my powers, and she had a surprised look on her face. I pushed her legs up and allowed myself to lean my hips into her core while kissing her still bra clad breasts. I could tell she wasn't used to not being in control, but I loved every second of it. She was squirming underneath me and I couldn't get enough. I unhooked her bra and a loud sigh escaped my lips as a wave of lust crashed into my core. I permitted my lips to hover over her neck and breasts, giving her soft kisses along the way. My mouth moved to her stiff nipple, my tongue toyed with it for just a moment before I allowed my mouth to engulf her. Her back arched into the bed and her head stretched back from the sensation of my sucking. I felt my own reaction stirring within me, my body was throbbing for her touch.

Not being able to stand the tension one minute longer, I used my powers to rip her panties off of her hips. Her beautiful wetness exposed to me for the first time. Her center so dainty and pink called to me. I let my body sink into the bed as I nestled between her legs. My arms wrapped around her thighs, my mouth kissing her inner thigh as I made my way towards her core.

Her hands balled the sheets into her fists as my bottom lip grazed along her swollen clit. A loud moan released as I allowed my tongue to make its first contact. I didn't linger long on her swollen clit, as I noticed how sweet she tasted. I craved to taste her more, and allowed my tongue to bury itself into her essence. Her cries could not be silenced as I moved my tongue back to her swollen clit, letting my movements grow faster and faster until I held her on the edge. I used my mouth to suck and tease her, never stopping my tongue from its own movements. Her body quivered and shook as I held her in that moment, just on the brink of deliverance.

I let my nails lightly drag along her side from my position between her legs as I brought her over the edge. Her back arched towards the sky, and her hands clinched mine as she let out a long moan. I let my tongue dip into her for one last taste of her sweet release.

I slid my body up the bed to lay beside her, laying my head on her shoulder and my arm across her stomach. She was still taking in deep breaths, recovering from the exhaustion I had just caused her. She turned her head to look at me, her expression confused me at first. She seemed almost in fear, or shock?

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Where…I mean, how…you are a virgin?" She said breathlessly. I bit my lip trying to cover up a smile of satisfaction. I guessed I had done a good job.

Before I had time to gloat she turned over on top of me, her hair falling down to my chest. She ripped off my wet bra and took in the sight of my chest. I felt suddenly self-conscious, my chest was small in comparison to the large breast leaning over me.

"They are smaller...I hope you don't…"

"They are gorgeous." She cut me off, a smile invaded the side of her mouth. I had never seen her smile crooked like that, it was adorable and sexy all at one time.

Her mouth crashed into my chest, moving faster than I had on her. She remained gentle and strategic in her path, her kissing making its way around my tight nipple. Her tongue flicked me and I felt a shock travel through me. The sensation made me moan in a way that surprised me. I covered my mouth with my hand, feeling embarrassed at the pitch of my outburst. She giggled but didn't stop, her mouth traveled down the center of my stomach and traced the lining of my panties.

She lifted up just before she breached the lining of my panties and made her way back up to my face. Her body didn't rest on top of mine but rather she held herself off of my side. She kissed my lips softly, tracing her finger down my opposite side. Her hand gentle led its way down to the very lining she had just given up. Her soft hand gently lifted my panties and slipped underneath. I closed my legs in reaction to the sensation, it was almost too much to handle.

Her fingers grazed over my lips, playing with my emotions and my mind. Her middle finger softly danced over top of my throbbing clit for a moment before threatening to invade my wetness. My breath caught as she touched the opening and my body stiffened.

"I'll be gentle." She whispered into my ear, her teeth nibbled my lobe lightly after she spoke.

I gulped and felt her finger slide slowly into me. I choked out a cry, not of pain but of pure ecstasy. Her finger slowly pulsed in and out of me, causing waves of electricity to run wild throughout my body. Her thumb caressed my throbbing clit with every movement. The combination made it impossible for me to stand the sensation for long. Her hand began to work faster with each moan, my body shook with desire. Finally, she let my fall deep into a blissful release. My body pulsed with each wave of pleasure. When I was finished and beginning to recover she removed her delicate finger from the river I had created and brought it to her mouth. I felt a final shock as I watched her taste the wetness I left on her.

We lay there, both breathing deeply, staring into each other's eyes. Neither of us could find the words to do the experience justice. We were both content to lay there in the comfortable silence, sharing the occasional smile and laugh.

Finally, I found the only words that seemed to fit.

"I love you."


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52 - Lemons for Thanksgiving

Authors note: Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews, i do check my phone multiple times a day for the emails, and i read each and every one. Thank you for your continued support, i really do appreciate it. Happy Thanksgiving! I hope all of you eat way too much! Here's more lemons for you to read when you aren't around your family ;D

Rosalie's POV

In all honesty, from the moment I said I love you until the morning after I felt like I was living in another reality. I was scared out of my wits at the thought of us making love. I acted calm and collected on the outside, but inside my dead stomach turned. Mock confidence is my specialty though.

I ended up making the first move, and I think it helped diffuse the situation…or ignite it, I suppose it depends on how one would look at it. She shocked me when she took control though. The night ran long and before we knew it the sun was coming up. We watched the sun rise from our bed, the bright rays were shining through the doorway to the balcony, the thin curtains danced in the wind.

We laid tangled in a mess of each other. My head found its way to her chest and rested there. Her mahogany hair fell all around, I played with a strand that found a home on her exposed chest. My fingers traced her perky breast mindlessly as we watched the sun rise. She ran her fingers through my hair, causing me to purr and nestle further into her.

"Do you think this is what the meaning of life is?" She spoke out of the silence.

"What?" I asked never lifting my head from her chest.

"Good sex." She said with a chuckle as she kissed the top of my head. I laughed in response.

"So, it was good then?" I said raising up to show her a quirked eyebrow.

"Mediocre, at best." She said in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh yeah?" I said in playful surprise. I began to tickle her sides as she laughed and struggled against me.

I slowed my movement when my face hovered above hers and eventually paused. Tension built its way back up between us until I let my body dip down for a kiss. One small kiss turned into another and another, until we were slowly and sensually touching each other all over.

Her hands ran up and down my body, taking her time with me. The tension built more and more within me until I reached up and gave her hair a gentle tug. In doing so I exposed her neck to me, making eye contact with her just before sinking my teeth just a little into her flesh. I used my lips to suck the area I obsessed over, my tongue playing with the skin in my grasp. A low moan escaped her lips as I deepened my hold on her.

Her hands firmly grasped the skin on my shoulders, her nails digging in slightly, giving me a blissful mix of pain and pleasure. I moved my mouth farther down her to her collar and repeated my movements. Her nails scathed up my ribs with each bite, soft moans and whines accompanying my every move.

The tension was too much to handle, my passion was taking over and the animal within me was escaping. I sat up, legs slightly spread with my knees holding me up. I furrowed my brow and flashed her a grin just before I reached around her hips and pulled her forcefully into the space between my legs. Her center met mine and in one fluid motion I spread her legs at her knees. Kneeling over her I used my nails to lightly drag down her inner thighs until I reached her core.

Each one of her moans got me higher and higher and the animal within me begged to be let out. My only desire and need was to please her. I slid down onto my stomach between her legs and kissed her until she begged me to slide my tongue into her. I dipped my tongue into her, feeding off of her wetness, she was so god damn sweet. I selfishly needed her to cum so that I could taste more of her.

I kissed and teased her throbbing clit until she gave me what I wanted. I was becoming an addict for her, and just like any good addict…I needed more. I didn't let her catch her breath for long before I began to make love to her center again, and again.

"Babe, I want to make you feel good too." She said breathlessly after a few orgasms. I just lightly shook my head "no" from between her thighs in protest. Eventually, she took control and flipped me over to lay on my back.

"You can be so fucking selfish." She teased as she kissed my lips.

I felt her hand slide between my thighs and pause at my opening. The tip of her finger lingered on the edge of my entrance. She bit my lip lightly as she let her finger slide in. I arched my head back and let out a loud moan. Her hand pumped in and out until she added one more finger inside me. My world was a blur, my sex was full, full of her. She kissed up and down my neck, my jaw and my lips as she brought me to the edge. I felt myself tense around her fingers as my stomach tightened. I arched up towards her, letting out a soft cry into the nape of her neck.

Much of the morning was spent in a limbo of pleasure and peaceful existence. Our intermissions were spent tangled in each other, talking about everything and nothing. We were still and silent, nestled and happy to just be. Other moments we were playful and laughing. I had never known this reality, I had never felt this closeness before. Every bit of the eighty odd years of pain and longing I had known was erased, and in its place, was only her.

Morning turned into night, night turned to day and so forth. The next few days we spent in bed and in our room. Nothing else in the world mattered and as far as I could tell, there was no need to do anything new. I guess you could say we had a lot of pent up energy.

Finally, one thing mattered more than her, blood. We both felt the hunger of our seclusion and decided to feed. We thought another night out on the town could be fun, and when we grew tired of being clothed, well, we could come back. So, we took a shower, a very long shower in which we both enjoyed deeply and I called a car to pick us up.

We decided on a place that was known for its rare aged specimens. This was the sort of place that older more refined vampires went to, the kind that didn't eat the first human that walked across their path. The place also specialized in having an array of species, which was prefect for two "vegetarian" vampires.

I settled on coagulated tigers blood, formed into long noodle like pieces with smoke dried beef blood flakes and garlic. This was about as close as I could ever get to spaghetti. Bella ordered fermented yak blood, aged in a wooden barrel and mixed with a beef broth. It created a sort of soup, full of spice and flavor. I almost wished I had ordered that, even though my meal was to die for. It might have been all of the strenuous activity, or maybe it was just the place, but our food was incredible. We decided to order more just to take back with us. I could tell we would be working back up an appetite anyways.

We stayed in Slovenia for just over three weeks. We decided to move on one morning when we no longer felt content staying in the same place. Things were so easy with her, we just decided over a casual conversation at our small balcony table while watching the sun rise. So, we packed our bags and checked out.

We caught a train from Slovenia to Venice. I wanted to stay there for a little while since it was so close to wine country but still held a certain old word charm. One we were there we checked into our "Tiny" room. To me it was small, mostly because our rooms so far had been like tiny palaces. This room was a suite, but in America it would have been just slightly above average.

The thing that killed Bella was the bidet. She couldn't get over it, not that she ever really needed to actually use it. She just thought it was a funny thing to have in our room.

We spent the better part of three weeks exploring the city and venturing out to different cities in the northern part of Italy. We spent our fair share of time in the hills of Tuscany, sipping on wine and taking in the fresh air. We might have sipped a little too much wine a few times, and by us, I mean Bella. She was such a light weight it was hilarious. I didn't mind it too much, since she became wildly turned on each time. So much so that we actually made love between two rows of the grape vines one night. She couldn't stand to wait a few hours for a train back to our room.

We spent an overcast day playing tourist in Florence and another a few days later in Pisa. We took more pictures in those weeks than could fit in an average person's phone. I made her take the cliché picture of her holding up the tower of Pisa, and she made me take at least a thousand photos with her while we waited for our train home. My favorite was a picture she snuck of me kissing her forehead while she flashed a dimpled smile.

We were brought back to reality a little bit when Alice called us one day on our train ride home from Milan. She called Bella, knowing that I would have probably ignored her call. I didn't want to remember that anyone else existed besides us, she couldn't blame me for that. I was happy for the first time in forever.

"Bella!" Alice shouted as Bella answered the phone, she didn't even wait for Bella to give her a hello.

"Hi Alice! How have you been?" She said cheerfully, obviously more willing to communicate with the world than me.

"Frustrated! Do you know how hard it is to look after you all and give you privacy at the same time? You two are worse than rabbits, I swear." She said dramatically. I chuckled and rolled my eyes. Its not like we were the first vampires to be attracted to each other.

"Erm, sorry about that Alice. I hope you didn't see too much." She said, if she had blood it would have all been in her cheeks.

"I saw enough to know that I shouldn't check on you for a few weeks. Anyways, I just wanted to catch up. I miss you two so much! I'm sending you some more clothes. I'm guessing your attire is getting a little…worn. Then again, I'm not sure that you girls are actually wearing many clothes these days." She said matter-of-factly. Bella looked at me and bit her lip in embarrassment. I grabbed the phone from her.

"Alice, we are going to have to go. Looks like our stop is coming up! We love you all, tell everyone 'hi.'" I said trying to sound busy.

"No, you're not, you still have two more hour…" I clicked the end button before she could finish.

"I guess that's one way to end a conversation." Bella said with a laugh.

"She will get over it, she will probably just send more clothes to "punish us." I'm not scared of a little pixie." I said rolling my eyes. Bella laughed at me, just like she always did. She had a way of making me feel funnier than I probably was.

"Hey, so, I was thinking." She said after a minute of looking out the train window. I always let her have the window seat.

"Yes, love?" I said tracing circles with my thumb on the back of her hand.

"What do you think about going down to southern Italy? I want to see rome and the almafi coast. Maybe we could stay in Rome?" She said.

"Sounds good, I'll book us a room starting tomorrow." I said as I wrapped my arm around her and kissed the top of her head. She sank down a little under my arm, her back to me as she watched out the window. She held my hand as it draped around her the rest of our trip home.

The next day we set back out to the train station, caught a fast track train headed to Rome and settled in. On our second stop I happened to look out our window to see a familiar figure standing at the next platform over. The sight sent chills up my spine. For as I caught a glimpse he had already seen me and was looking deep into my eyes. His eyes were tight, his brow furrow and his lips were pursed. He looked as though he wanted to tear my head clean off. Our gaze locked for what must have only been two seconds, but it was long enough to make me uncomfortable. Edward.

A train passed between my window and his platform. It only took a few seconds for the train to pass but when it did he was gone. I decided not to say anything to Bella, I wasn't sure if I imagined him or if he was there. I had felt like I caught a glimpse of his figure a few times, once in Greece, a couple times in Slovenia, but it always turned out to be someone else. I couldn't tell if I was seeing a ghost or reality. We would be hours away from this place soon anyways. I hoped I had seen a ghost.

I was wrong.


	53. Chapter 53

A/N:

I want to sincerely apologize for dropping this story. I could explain to you that I lost direction, motivation and became self-conscious over my writing, but none of that really matters. I have been working on another Rosella story for the past year, none of it is published yet but it is completely written. When I started this story I had just an idea of a scene in my head about Rosalie teach Bella to hunt. My poor girlfriend, now fiance, had to endure hours of talking about it. She helped me greatly with cultivating this. So, thank you for doing that Alex. I had no direction in this though, I just wrote and let it be what it was. Then I lost it. Today I surprised myself by sitting down and writing this. I hope to have the motivation to continue this, but no promises. Thank you for continuing to read this. I might not have kept this going without the email reminders that you still follow it. Enjoy.

\- Aphilli

Chapter 53-

Rosalie's POV

I've been to Rome twenty times in my life. Sometimes it has been for a vacation with my family, other times for a quick dinner with Alice at our favorite place. I can tell you that the first twenty times paled in comparison to the twenty-first.

The city, once dark with a rich history of blood and torment, seemed romantic. The lights and the streets seemed to be a dream. We walked hand in hand to my favorite restaurant the night we made it in. The cobblestone streets were enhanced by small café's with cute tables outside. The light warm breeze danced along the hairs of my body and gave me a blissful feeling.

One of several mystical café's, Caffe Degli Dei, was special. Not only did it have a menu for Vamperic tastes, it served a variety of mythical creatures. Shifters could enjoy dishes that were slightly more feral and wild. Werewolves could enjoy raw dishes prepared with wolfsbane extract, which contrary to popular belief, was quite enjoyed by the children of the moon.

Not only did this delicious local favorite serve all kinds of creatures from the underworld, it served humans. Though its yelp reviews were mixed for the humans, it served them to remain obscure. When a mythological creature entered, they were to give the hostess a preference of sitting within the back room if they were of a special diet.

When we arrived to the Café, Bella gave me a curious look as the smell of densely confined humans hit her nose. I gave her a knowing smile and asked the waitress for a seat in the back. She nodded in understanding, grabbing menus from inside her podium instead of from the holder of menus to its side.

She led the way through the crowded restaurant, clearly filled with tourists from English speaking countries. Families enjoyed large bowls of spaghetti, having absolutely no culture in a city where one had many more Italian options. The place was situated near the pantheon; in the same open square in fact. This made it a busy place.

Around a tight corner we went in the almost house like café. Down spiral stairs and into the basement area we found ourselves in another world. Red, amber and almost silver eyes filled the room. It was dimly lit, but romantic in a unique secret spot sort of way.

We were guided to a table for two along the old cracked concrete wall in the far corner. The hostess pulled out each chair for us as we sat down, she handed us each a menu and a napkin. The server quickly made their way to us, setting down silverware.

"May I suggest the Barnacle Goose Cacciatore? Aged Goose is dried with a mix of spices and added to a mixture of red wine, oyster sauce, mushrooms and Raven's blood. It is then slowly cooked over a period of twelve hours."

"Ah, sounds interesting. What drink would you pair with this?" I inquired to the mousey-faced server.

"Our chef recommends the Air and Sea cocktail. It is a blend of Atlantic Sea Bass blood, lemon, parsley and a splash of fermented quail's blood."

"Sound's excellent."

She went on to suggest a soup made partially from human, Bella of course declined. A few eyes from near by tables turned when she explained her dietary choice of being a vegetarian of sorts. I felt the eyes, but turned to challenge their stares, none seemed bold enough to continue.

After we ate we took a long stroll to the Vatican, the streets were almost empty, the river was strangely peaceful. We stopped along the well-lit bridge from the city to the Vatican to stare out at the calm river beneath us. I stood behind her, my arms on the stone barrier, planted to the sides of her hands. I kissed the back of her head, the breeze helping me to take in her heavenly scent.

I didn't believe life could get any better. I was probably right. Everything I had once pined over, all of the hurt I felt for the loss of a life I wanted, all of it seemed to fade. I only wanted her. She hummed as we stood there like that for what seemed to be hours.

We took in the city of religion and dedication. Its great big buildings seemed like ruins with the lack of crowds to share in our views. We walked the border of the basilica hand in hand, Bella letting her fingertips brush against the building. She stared with a slack jaw in awe of the beauty of the city.

We found a little bar away from the tourist areas to grab a few limoncello drinks. We promptly ordered our drinks in Italian. Due to the bar tender's lack of English, I ordered. She threw them back like the American she was, having the lack of patience to simply sip and enjoy. I quirked my brow at the scene she made, intrigued by her lack of decorum.

"You want to take shots?"

"Isn't that what we are doing?" She said throwing back another.

"Have you not noticed that I still have my first?" I said taking a sip while keeping eye contact.

"They are so small?"

"They are meant to be enjoyed, you are such an American." I said in mock disgust. Her jaw dropped open in shock. A smile pulled at her lips as she regained her composure.

"You are an American too!" She exclaimed.

"I'm way more traveled though. That almost makes me less of an American and more of a European. I mean, je parle plusieurs langues europeennes…" Which translated to 'I do speak multiple European languages', in French of all things.

"You are older than me, and that means you are more American because you have been an American longer…" Bella said throwing back her shot and slamming the glass on the counter. The glass broke under her uncontrolled force. She was clearly under the influence.

"Oh God." I said in embarrassment as I put my hand up over my faced feeling exasperated.

"Sorry! Um, I mean spiacenta, no, um, spiacente…" Bella said to the bartender who grumbled as he used his towel to brush the glass into the trash behind the bar.

"Sir, two shots of Absinthe please." I said. He turned his head in confusion. I translated quickly to Italian. If she wanted a shot, I was going to give it to her.

"See, now this is what I am talking about!" She said as the gentleman sat down two small glasses of pretty light green liquid. He seemed to plop them down with a little aggression; he was obviously annoyed.

"Yes, just wait until you taste it." I said blankly. She raised her shot to mine and through her back into her mouth.

Her face went from happy and pleasant to curious. Finally her face scrunched up into what could only be disgust. She swallowed hard and stuck out her tongue after. This was one of the few moments that I found her less than sexy.

"Ugh." She said shaking her head.

"Something wrong?" I said clearing my throat after the awful licorice liquid passed down my throat. I kept my face blank, pretending that it did not just taste like the worst drink I had ever had. I would never put myself through such things normally.

The first time I had the drink was with Edward on my first trip to Paris. Edward ordered us a couple of shots, thinking it would be hilarious to see me in pain. I had always held a grudge with him over the experience, until now. He was right; it is in fact, hilarious.

"What the hell?" She said looking at the empty glass.

"What? It's supposed to be fairy juice." I said innocently.

"Its awful, but it was so pretty."

"I know; it's sort of like you." I said dryly. I was feeling playful.

"That's not how you felt last night." She jabbed me with her elbow. If I were a human I would have been red as a tomato. The bartender was busy cleaning glasses but raised an eyebrow.

"Oh so you don't speak English, huh?" I said to him with attitude. He just shrugged. I guess his snobby attitude balanced out with Bella's drunken behavior. I couldn't blame him if this is what he dealt with all the time. I slipped him a hundred when we left.

The next morning, we mostly laid around the hotel. I read, feeling fine from the night before. Bella had come onto me strongly when we arrived back at our room the night before. After I denied her advances, seeing as though she was completely inebriated. Bella had gone into a lazy dazed state. This was the closest a Vampire really got to passing out.

Normally, the amount of alcohol she had would only leave her feeling buzzed and silly for a few hours, but she had absinthe. The wormwood in the drink had a profound effect on our kind. It was, from what I gather, similar to a strong proof alcohol for humans. Our normal high tolerance for alcohol makes us like a college girl when wormwood is involved. Completely sloppy.

I read a book I purchased from a store the night before as she rested her head on my leg in bed. I played with her mahogany hair as she grumbled and groaned every so often. Maybe I should have made her purge, but something within me thought it was a lesson worth her learning.

I was on the last chapter of the book when drunken beauty truly awoke. She stretched her legs, flexing her toes as she yawned. She twisted her back and craned her neck with one eye open, squinting the other. I peered down to meet her eyes, or eye.

"Well, hello there count drunkula." I said to her sweetly. She laughed and snuggled into my leg for a few minutes.

"I hate you." She said into my leg.

"No you don't." I simply said, turning the page of my book.

"You're right. Why did you let me drink that?" She asked with a laugh.

"I thought you might like to try it, since we can't get it like that in America."

"You just wanted to see if you could get me drunk."

"No, I'm pretty sure you were doing a pretty good job of that yourself." I said turning another page.

"Whatever." She said grumpily.

A few moments went by before she became restless. She repositioned several times before craning her next to look back up at me. I was on the last two pages of my book; an action filled crime novel. It did not seem to be ending with a resolution. I hoped to finish my book but her stirring was distracting.

"Can I help you?" I said as I I folded the book over my finger, keeping my place.

"I need to eat, I feel sick."

"Ok, let me just finish this…" I stopped when I heard a light grumble. I guessed it would have to wait. "You know what, let's go out for breakfast."

They quickly dressed and left the hotel, taking a taxi to the outskirts of the city. Rosalie knew of a less populated and more natural area that hikers frequented. When she had been in the past with her family, the guys liked to hunt some of the time. The girls loved the civilized restaurants that the city had to offer, however, the boys felt cooped up without the hunt.

Lago Della Duchessa near Rome was a wilderness full of trees and mountain like hills. Once the taxi dropped them off, they were able to run the rest of the way to their hunting spot. Once there, they both promptly found breakfast.

The next day was still cloudy, enough for them to explore the city. I had intended on going to an opera that night as a surprise but needed to find a way to get the tickets. I decided that I would set Bella up with a day at the only underground spa in the world. It just so happened to be in Rome. Alice and Esme had drug me there each time they visited the city. Edward came half of the time just to get a massage.

I set her up with a half-day package, which included a massage, a south Asian dragon facial, and a soak in the spa warm baths. Bella was left in the care of the one of our family's favorite Spa employees, I gave her a handsome tip just to make sure her care was up to par. Bella gave me a kiss on the cheek and followed the employee in.

Across town I found myself standing in line like a normal human to buy our tickets. My pocket vibrated when I was at the head of the line, it was just Alice calling. I put my phone back in her pocket and purchased two balcony seats. My phone vibrated violently again as I walked away with two tickets in hand.

"What?" I answered harshly, feeling annoyed that my sister was impatient.

"You need to get to Bella!" She exclaimed with fear.

I wasn't sure that I hung up the call, I wasn't sure that I even still had my phone in my possession. From the moment I heard her tone I started running. I hardly took care to run at a human speed. I swooped into an old building and climbed the stairs to the roof top entrance. From the rooftops I ran and jumped at my normal pace. I wasn't sure of what danger presented itself to my Girlfriend, but I was sure that I would be its end.

It took me a mere three minutes to reach the spa instead of twenty, had I followed a human pace on the streets. I burst into the spa waiting room and zoomed past the receptionist.

"Uh, ma'am!" The girl jumped up from her desk and shouted in a thick accent.

Before the girl could stop me, I was in the pushing my way into the first door in a long hallway of closed rooms. It was locked; I kicked it open, busting it off its hinges. Two sets of red eyes looked at me. A man was getting a massage, no Bella.

"What is the meaning of this?" The owner of whom I knew grabbed my shoulder.

I turned with fierce black eyes and grabbed her hand. A crack appeared on her wrist where I twisted slightly before realizing she was a friend. She eyes me and removed her hand.

"Bella…" I said with anger dripping from my mouth. She knew that my anxiety could not be lessened with words, so she decided to show me. She nodded and rushed me to the last room.

"She is fine my dear." She said as she knocked on the door, waiting for it to open in response. None came.

After a second knock I pushed her back and kicked the door open. A vampire I just barely could recognize lay in pieces around the room. My worst fears had come true as we peered into the room and found no Bella.


	54. Chapter 54

**A/N:**

Thanks for staying with me. To everyone's surprise, I am sure, I'm back! Thank you for the reviews, and please let me know what you think as we continue this journey to a happy (or sad) ending. It is not over, nor will it be for a while yet. Cheers.

-Aphilli

 **Chapter 54-**

 **Bella's POV:**

Rosalie led me off of the street and into a building that seemed deserted. We walked to the far end of the building and into a small doorway. The doorway opened into a dark tunnel, which seemed to extend forever. It was damp and dingy with an odor of mildew.

Around a few twists and turns was another door. The large red door seemed old but not nearly as old as the cave like tunnel they had walked to get there. Inside was an open lobby with white marble flooring. Royal purple walls and soft leather armchairs framed the room.

A beautiful brunette sat at the front desk, she smile brightly at us as we entered the room. Her features resembled an Italian fashion model. Rosalie walked up to her and checked me in without a word of English.

After a few brief minutes a lady came to retrieve me, Rosalie knew her right away. Her family really did come here often. She gave me her goodbye and I followed the girl to the room at the end of the hall. My first treatment was to be a massage.

I wondered how it would work. I wondered how my marble skin could possibly be penetrated by any creature's hands. If one did have the force to mold my stone like body, it would crack and break, right? Sensing my curiosity and slight angst, the masseuse answered my unasked question.

"You will experience micro fractures to your skin my darling. The small fractures are almost completely pleasurable and very therapeutic to you." Her accent was thick.

"How is that pleasurable and good for me?"

"Our skin is turned from flesh into millions of minuscule crystals, tough like diamonds. They meet together like cells of the flesh, so tiny. I will shift these crystals in areas where you have excess build up due to stress. You will likely experience a purge later due to the release of such excess." She explained casually waving her hand as she led me to her room. "No need to feel worries."

"Are you special?" I asked without tact.

"I am, how you say? An emepth."

"Ah, Empath."

"Yes, Empeth."

She instructed me to take off my clothes and to lay on the bed face down. Once she left the room I obliged, feeling awkward. I placed my head within the headrest and waited for my therapist to come back. The room smelled of lavender and honey. I assumed that this was on purpose.

I small creek came from the door on as the smell of cedar, sand and driftwood hit my nose. I remembered the scent though it seemed impossible that it could be. Footsteps came close until a light touch ascended my posterior. A hand rested on my shoulder.

"Bella." The voice that spoke my name sounded modulated. It was pleasant but controlled, almost pained. I knew it at once. My body stiffened, wondering if this was a dream or my reality.

He must have felt my muscles flex in my back, his hand moved off of me. He moved his feet to reposition himself. I heard an unnecessary sigh fall from his lips.

"Bella, please, I need to speak with you."

I broke out of shock, realizing that this was not a ghost, nor dream. I lifted my head to see the face of a man I had once thought to be a god. His bronze hair was shorter now, still a mess. His jaw seemed sharper than it once did, his lips pursed in a way that only he could do. He did not meet me in the eyes.

"Edward? What are you doing here?" I saw in awe, my jaw refusing to close.

"Bella, I need to speak with you, but this is my only chance. You must come with me. Please." He sounded as though he were in pain. His eyes did not meet mine; it angered me to no end. Why would he not look at me after everything he had put me through?

"Why will you not look at me?" He swallowed hard.

"I'd rather not, you are indecent." I then realized my cleavage was more than present. I let my body fall against the bed again. He moved closer to put his hand on my shoulder.

"Please, follow me, we must go." He said with more urgency in his voice. I nodded in understanding. Whatever he needed, he didn't seem to be a threat to me.

He turned and I dressed quickly. I followed him out through another room and into a hall I had never seen before. He led me to a door and into what seemed to be another dingy tunnel.

Before I knew it he had led me to a hotel on the opposite side of the city from where I stayed with Rosalie. We had walked to the area on our night stroll, so I recognized it. The hotel was far less accommodating that our own. It seemed like it catered to the less fortunate, maybe the locals who were down and out. He had a room here; I wondered why he would choose such a place.

The room was small with cracks visible to the old walls. In one corner paint peeled off the wall and the ceiling wore stains from water leaks. The floors were scratched wood with dust in some areas. The curtains, ripped and shabby, were drawn over the windows making the room dark.

"Ok, what is the meaning of all this?" I said frustrated and confused.

I watched him walk over to the table near the window, a collection of bottles sat atop it and one glass. He popped the top off a brown liquor and poured a glass. He stood with his weight leaning on the desk as he took a sip of the drink. He stared at me for a moment. I had almost lost my patience before he finally answered.

"You are in danger Bella. I came to warn you." He said throwing back the rest of his drink. He poured himself another.

"No shit, that's why I am here. What the hell do you care if I am in danger anyways?" I asked with agitation that I didn't understand. I carried deep hurt over our last encounter, over us. I had never truly blamed him for all of it, but I hadn't forgiven him for what I did either.

"You are on their back doorstep!" He said gesturing his glass towards the window.

"Who?"

"The most powerful clan in all of the world. I told you of them once."

"The Voltu…"

The door opened suddenly, breaking my train of thought. A tall man with dark features abruptly walked in. He had crimson red eyes and harsh features. His severe eyes were nestled under a prominent brow. His dark brown hard was messy on his head. He ignored me, only looking to meet Edward in his eyes.

"We have no time." He said sternly. His accent was not Italian; it was a beautiful and elegant Spanish accent.

"I was just explaining…"

"You can explain later. For now, we have to go."

Edward stared at the man in protest for a moment. His eyes moved from the man to me, his expression became softer. He stood up and walked to me, hold out his hand.

"It would appear that we need to discuss this later. For now, you need to trust me." He gestured again for me to take his hand.

"No."

"Please Bella."

"Where is Rosalie? I will not go without her." When I finished Edward threw the glass he had across the room. It hit the wall and shattered. The pieces flew everywhere and I instinctively flinched. A whole had appeared where his glass met the wall, a small crack stemmed out from it. I looked back at Edward in slight horror. His eyes were black. Slowly they returned to dark amber.

"She will be safe. You are more val…" He stopped and thought about his next words. "She is strong and will be ok."

"I will not go! Let me go!" I shouted.

I stood up and moved away from him. Panic arose in my dead heart. I could feel the tension within me rising, like water to a boil. Things seem to go faster.

"You are going to have to do it Santi, Do it now!" Edward shouted. I felt a hand grip my shoulder.

"Sleep." The elegant voice said. My world went black.

* * *

 **Rosalie's POV:**

"Alice! I need you to tell me what the hell is going on!" I shouted into my phone.

"I am trying. He knows how I work, he is unclear." Alice sounded defeated.

"He?" I growled out.

"It's Edward. I am trying to see his next move. He is good at dodging me."

I hung up the phone without another word. I stood outside the tunnel in the old building that led to it. I was filled with rage and anger. I heard a small crack. The phone in my hands was giving under my grip. A crack stretched across the screen. I placed it in my pocket, knowing I would need it.

As I left I closed the door to the building so hard that it broke its hinges and cracked its frame. I wanted nothing more than to crush him. I wanted to feel his skin crack beneath my strength. I wanted Bella.

A ring came from the poor phone in my pocket. It was Jasper. I quickly answered, hoping for good news.

"We are on our way." He said simply. I heard the sound of rustling from behind him. Alice spoke in the background to Esme. Esme was helping her get her things together.

"Meet us in Brasov."

"Romania?"

"We will be there tomorrow by noon." He said blankly. "Rosalie, don't do anything until we get there."

I growled in response. There was nothing I hated more than being told what or what not to do when it came to her. I punched the wall of the building next to me, leaving a whole with cracks splintering out from it.

Realizing that I was not alone, and that humans noticed my outburst, I quickly walked away. I caught the next flight out of the area and to Bucharest. Unfortunately, the flight didn't leave right away; I spent two hours pacing the terminal of the Rome airport.

I thought of her. I thought of the sweatshirt at the terminal news store and how she would love it. She had terrible taste. In a moment of sheer stupidity I bought her a key chain with the Colosseum on it. I didn't know if she was dead or alive, but here I was, buying key chains. I scoffed.

I thought of her smile, her laugh and the way she said my name. Those thoughts turned to her scream, I could see cracks form on her face as Edward pressed in on her. I heard a pop and realized that I had broken the keychain. I needed a drink.

A few hours later I was off the plane and making my way to the rental cars. I approached the counter to find a burly, greasy dark hair man. He was wiping his nose with a handkerchief. I groaned internally at the site.

"I'd like your fastest car." I said simply. He snorted and I heard the remainder of his snot suck back up into his head. I struggled not to wince. He looked me up and down and curled up the side of his right lip.

"I du not speak engleza." He said gruffly. My fingers tapped the counter impatiently as I tried to remember what Romanian I had learned over my life. Emmett had once learned some when he was obsessed with taking our family to 'learn our origins.'

"I'd …uh, ca cea… mai rapida masina." I said with my eyes squinted as if it would jog my memory better. When I opened my eyes he was staring blankly at me. "RAPIDA MASINA." I said louder, gesturing like an idiot.

He laughed a jolly gruff laugh and shook his head. His fat fingers typed slowly on his windows ninety-five ancient computer. I tapped more impatiently.

"Emer-icans." He said shaking his head as he pulled a printed sheet of paper off his printer. "Segn and date." He pointed with his pen to a few spots on the paper.

When I had given him my card and received the keys I was off to the lot to find my rental. I looked to the keys. Chevrolet. I knew by the cost of the car that it would not be a Corvette, and I didn't much prefer the newer Camaro. It would have to do I thought.

I clicked the remote and listened as I made my way through the lot, until I heard the return beep. It was weak, like a small child asking for someone to excuse them. I would have expected a Camaro to have a more robust horn. Chevy had really gone to shit.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I screamed in anger at the sight of my chariot.

It wasn't a Camaro. It wasn't even an Impala. Hell, I would take any other Chevy model, but alas, I had been given a spark. I had the urge to pick the tiny thing up and throw it. I could run there faster!

I kicked the tire of the car next to it. It burst with a loud thunderous pop. A man across the lot looked in my direction. I looked around suspiciously and jumped in the car I had been given. I was glad I got the insurance because I fully planned to drive the car off a cliff.


End file.
